On 14 Aug 04 at 15:33, Jane McGary wrote: > What plants -- ornamental or edible -- do others sow over their bulb > beds? At the 1991 Western Winter Study weekend, Don Elick recommended that bulbs not be overplanted with *anything*. In his opinion, over- planting had two drawbacks: one, it shaded the soil, thus preventing the bulbs from getting the warmth they need in summer to properly ripen; and, two, no matter what you planted, it would compete with the bulbs for nutrients, thereby weakening them. The context was his experience with bulbs in Japan's cold, dry winters and hot, wet summers. To this day I remain uncertain if this is generally applicable advice, or advice applicable only to similar climates. But as he is (was?) a very successful grower of Mediterranean bulbs in a climate not especially suited to them, I think his opinion is worth consideration. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island