> >The largest clump is a "mini-blanket" of bulbs the size of a dinner plate, and has 9 spikes blooming now. Because of the reputation S. peruviana has of skipping flowering seasons, I hardly know whether this closet shelf treatment helped, or was immaterial to success. Does removing the bulb from relentless summer heat keep the flower embryos from aborting? > Cynthia, I am pleased to hear your comment about the reputation of S. perviana of skipping season. My main clump of it had something like 20 scapes on it the season before last, and none last year. I had wondered why, but not you have probably answered that. I never lift mine at ALL as they are evergreen as I have said. I know they will grow here happily permanently in the ground in dry neglected gardens. We get to around the 40'C mark in summer so I think that is fairly hot. We can certainly ge weeks at a time of mid to high 30s which feel a bit relentless to me <grin>. The pure white form of S. peruviana has flowered for me the last couple of years and I am hoping it will not learn from the other clump and skip a year <grin>. The one in the ground flowered this year, whereas the one that had been kept in a pot did not (both bought at the same time in flower 2 springs ago). I have had S. peruviana flower happily in larger pots though so it doesn't mind pot bulture, jsut doesn't like starving in a small pot. On the Scilla natalensis discussion.... I spoke to Lyn E. here in Canberra last night as she is too busy right now to respond to this email thread. I forgot to ask her whether hers go dormant, but one comment she did make was the the bulbs need to be pretty big before they flower. Obviously the larger size means better food stored for flower production I'd hazard? I've just been out to check on my pot of small offsets I was given by Lyn last year and they have definitely just broken dormancy as for the peruviana. There is a new little rosette of leaves that have emerged, but unlike the peruviana there are no continuing leaves from last year surrounding the new shoot (these leaves from last year on peruviana will die off shortly as nutrients are withdrawn from them and put into the new growth/bud production. Cheers. Paul Tyerman Canberra, Australia. USDA equivalent - Zone 8/9 mailto:ptyerman@ozemail.com.au Growing.... Galanthus, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Cyclamen, Crocus, Cyrtanthus, Liliums, Hellebores, Aroids, Irises plus just about anything else that doesn't move!!!!!