Hi Jane, Calostemma grow as a summer dormant plant for me - even though we get summer rainfall it is usually not heavy and persistent enough to have any great effect on the garden or the potting mix of exposed bulbs. After reading your posting I have revisited an article by Robert Gibson in an Australian Native Plants publication and thought it would be of interest to quote his thoughts on cultivation. "Calostemma purpureum is an easy plant to cultivate and propogate.It grows easily in standard potting mix in a full-length plastic pot at least 15cm accross, and grows in most garden soils. Given their bulbous nature they respond readily to changes in soil moisture levels. In dry conditions the plants become completely dormant and all above ground growth dies away. The bulbs readily produce new growth when the soil becomes moist, with a flush of new leaves and, periodically, flowers triggered by at least some periodic heavy watering. Leaves will survive for several months provided the soil or potting mix remains moist. They occur naturally in areas that receive light winter frosts, which they usually survive, however, this species is probably best thought of as a summer growing bulb. " They survive frost here to -2C and I am sure much colder in Canberra where Paul Tyerman grows them and reported some interesting colour varieties from Canberra Botanical Garden where they would be on a summer dormant cycle. The images of these colour varieties are on the wiki. Jim Lycos grows them in Sydney where the rainfall pattern is different so may tell us how they grow there. Jane, it sounds as though it may be worth drying off your plants for winter to see whether spring / summer watering stimulates flowering. Cheers, Rob in Tasmania Zone 9 equivalent.