Dear All, Thanks to Robin for the very good introduction to the genus Oxalis. Being an Oxalis enthusiast for many years I like to see the genus getting much wider attention now, there is also an Oxalis group on Yahoo. There are also some very nice summer growing Oxalis which are easier to grow to their full beauty in frosty climates. I find the winter growers do not develop to their full potential under glass even in the brightest position because we have so very short days and often overcast skies at this time of the year in northern Europe. There are some summer growers which I will distribute in winter when they are fully dormant, some may even be hardy but then this may cause the potential risk of them becoming weeds. There is a particularly nice tall growing plant form Ecuador (which I traded with nothing but an accession No) with mauve pink flowers with very dark centres in umbels high above the leaves, it may even bloom year round when kept in the appropriate climate. It needed a few years to develop to its full beauty, I suspect that some Oxalis do NOT like to be transplanted every year, most do not mind, though. There is also Oxalis articulata which forms finger-like tuberous stems above ground. it produces mounds of fresh green leaves almost invisible under masses of pink flowers, a nice edging plant and never a weed. This one definetely flowers all year in suitable conditions and is widespread in mild European gardens and is perhaps hardier than expected. There are always a few pots in my Oxalis collection that do not show any growth the odd year. I never throw these away as Oxalis can stay dormant for many years without dying, they often come from extremely arid areas where is does not rain for a very long time and are simply not used to grow every year, I suspect. However, there may also be other reasons for Oxalis not growing........ I now use the wire nesh system to prevent mice from eating the bulbs out of the pots, but I had to learn the hard way...... before I used sqare pieces of not too fine wire mesh cut to fit firmly into the pots I lost a certain number of Oxalis to mice. The Wiki pages on Oxalis are very nice and I was able to identify some of the plants I grow (but having doubts about O. incarnata, there is nothing red about it as the name implies) O "incarnata" is a very nice plant in a hanging basket with masses of scented flowers in spring in my greenhouse. The bulbils sprout wherever they fall onto other pots but so far it has not become a weed with me. But I have seen a mediterranean garden where it formes a solid mat on many beds...... Frost immediately kills the whole plant , so be careful in frost free climates. Some of the nicest Oxalis are not weeds at all but are painfully slow to increase. For substrate I use equal parts of perlite, seramis and a peat based commercial potting compost. This is a low weight substrate which is essential as the pots are in trays on a not too solid shelf under the grenhouse roof. It is also well aerated holds water and drains fast at the same time but the ingredients are not cheap. They get plenty of water while in growth and MUST NOT dry then and also get 2 or 3 waterings with ordinary strength liquid balanced fertilizer. When the greenhouse gets warm in spring dormancy begins. This can be retarded for better bulb size when the trays are moved into the open garden but care must be taken to avoid late frost. Once dormant it is important to keep them totally dry AND WARM, heat seems to stimulate bud formation. The internal biological clock of the plants is then set on again when weather cools in late summer and sprouting begins. All the best, greetings from Germany, Uli