> >When do you expect your L. radiata var. radiata to bloom? I know in >zone 7, you can pretty much mark August 31st, give or take, on your >calendar, so I am guessing mid-September here. I've not had much >luck with bloom on these so far, except in pots. Dear Kelly and Jim; I have a couple different L. rad. rad. The best is from a garden here in KC were they have grown for decades. Hardy and blooms each year. They are about the last to bloom- October for sure. Incidentally there is a literature reference to L. radiata 'Alba", but I wonder if this isn't confused with some other Lycoris species like L. albiflora (which isn't very hardy here and taller) or L. houdyshelli - which looks a lot like L. radiata, but has just begun to put up spikes and may have one or two open flowers. Both of these are pure white. I have seen L. radiata in the wild and it was on the edge of dense woods and near flowing streams. So it surely gets dense shade at some time of the day as the sun moves and stay pretty wet most of the year. Blooming in late August is a pretty good idea that the stream is not one that dries up in summer. It might even get occasional flooding. I have seen them growing in LA in mostly full sun. Mine are under a silver maple (ugh), but at the south edge and get quite a bit of sun. L. houdyshelli is in a more densely shaded spot. best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 E-fax 419-781-8594 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +