Dear Members: Jane wrote: >Jim is right in supposing that spring in the Pacific Northwest is cooler >than in the Atlantic states. It's 90 F today, but two days ago the high was >65, and it had been chilly and wet for two weeks. A cool, variable spring >is typical of this region, and many bulbs take this in their stride. Jane posted at about 7:30 pm, and as of 11 pm the temperature was down to 67F, even on the hottest days it often gets down into the 50's overnight. The cool nights make an enormous difference. I used to write Calvin Helsley (in Missouri), and I would always have lilies up before he did, but he always had lilies in flower before I did--he has warmer nights. We grow great lettuce and chard here, but tomatoes sometimes barely ripen fruit. By the fourth of July our corn will be as high--as my knees. A sixty seven day muskmelon (like Passport) planted June 1 will ripen in September if not given plastic mulch, etc. Ken, western Oregon--yes, Zone 7, but zone numbers only tell you the expected low temperatures, not the growing conditions.