Well, Dave, thanks for gently correcting my ignorance of Oregon weather. I'd fix you an iced tea if you were closer. When will I learn? But doesn't it cool off at night? Over here in the pressure cooker, anything lower than 80 degrees F counts as cooling down in my book. And thanks for putting in some good words for Crocus speciosus. It and the typical form of Crocus tommasinianus are my favorite crocus. If I could have but two crocus, one for the fall and one for late winter, these would be they. You have no doubt seen that Crocus speciosus is marketed with various cultivar names. There is lots of variation in this species, and some of it is horticulturally significant. Some cultivars have the reputation of being late blooming - so if you trust your source, get those. But don't gloss over the 'if you trust your source" part. Peak season in most years here is mid to late October. Some plants bloom much earlier, others are still blooming in early November. Although I grow plants received as cultivars (Cassiope, Globosus, Albus, Artabir, Aitchisonii, Conqueror and a few others), most of my plants came as generic Crocus speciosus. I'm sorry if I gave the impression that we have fields of bobbing blooms in late November. In most years there is a two week gap or so between the last of the Crocus speciosus in numbers and the first Crocus ochroleucus around Thanksgiving. But even then there may be a Crocus speciosus still blooming here or there. And I certainly think you are right about its tolerance for moist summer soil. This species is ripe for exploitation: anyone who could fix a reliably late blooming strain would have something many of us would like to have. And as you noted, there is lots of interesting variation in the individual flowers, the sort of variation which could form the basis for new cultivars. And maybe someone could develop a form with a shorter floral tube - that is the one objection to this species with which I might agree. Although to tell the truth, I like the lolling effect produced by the long floral tube. Friends of Crocus speciosus, unite! Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where the Maryland monsoon is doing its thing again.