Hi, members. Favorite combinations seems a little pretentious, let's be honest, this just happened. There is a narrow bed west of the house, about three feet wide, between the house and driveway. The soil was never amended, so it is native clay plus whatever was left from digging the house foundation all those many years ago. It is awkward to water, so it never has been. Fertilizer? You've got to be kidding-never. Cyclamen (headerifolium) were never planted there, they just came, liked it, multiplied, and now are a groundcover through the winter. The neighbor across the street had planted Amaryllis belladonna, in a similiar bed, and it needed dividing, so he gave me some, and for lack of a better place to put them, they went in this bed. For a while there was a Ceanothus, but it got big, then bigger, and finally assaulted the truck which brought in a truckload of barkmulch-well, the truck mirror got knocked off somehow- the Ceanothus finally went, leaving the bed open again. A couple stray hyacinths ended up there, then a bunch of Muscari 'Heavenly Blue'. Tritelia laxa follow the Muscari, in about the same spot, and you'd probably get both if you dug either. A couple stray yellow trumpet narcissus survive but do not multiply. A few years ago Tritelia peduncularis were added to give more height and near white color. I don't know how the Dierama got there, but they add height and color variation, from almost purple to rose to pale pink to almost white. A couple Bloomeria crocea have been added, but have not yet done much yet. Allium karataviense are an edging in one small area, but are attractive for only a short time. Camas have come in somehow, and I'd like to get rid of them, but I'm too lazy to dig them out. They might be more acceptable if they weren't right in the front edge of the bed where I brush against them when I walk by, or if they weren't so tall and blue. The south end of the bed has more cyclamen, Crocus speciosus in both white and blue huddled under the rocks edging the bed, where it is hard for squirrels to dig. A small native allium in soft pink lingers but spreads very little. Narcissus 'Baby Moon' adds yellow near one edge, flowers fairly early, and is dormant now. Dichlostemma congestum adds tall and blue, and gets moral support from more Dierama, which mostly aren't flowering yet. A smallish form of Tritelia hyacinthina, which originally came as Brodia minor, but obviously isn't, adds white. A wallflower survives and flowers a little, as does a Dianthus of unknown origin. Oenothera speciosa was put here in hopes of controlling its' mad spreading, and probably should be moved--it grows and flowers a little but obviously doesn't like being that dry. Lychnis coronaria in a white flower form gives grey leaves and height in the back corner-unplanned, unplanted, but it works. California poppies survive, flower, but do not spread or seed much. Zauschneria were planted, do survive, but are not really happy. I'm still looking for something of interest for July-August, when most of the bed is dormant. This bed has probably gotten less effort and money than any other area on the property, but it can compete in beauty with any more intensely planted area. Ken, western oregon Z7