>'Carolina Beauty' It has not bloomed yet, after 5 yrs, but it has >survived through all sorts of abuse including last winter when it >got down to a "fearsome" 7F. As Jim Waddick suggests, deep planting >is one of the ingredients for success. Dell Dear Dell and all; This is an interesting point and may reflect on the conversation about time of emergence of Trilliums ala John Lonsdale and Tony Avent. When I first bought a Crinum bulb, one of those puny Dutch things in a plastic bag over a decade ago, I had no clue it would be hardy or what depth to plant it. I simply planted it in a site I thought would be good. I may have seen pix of tropical Crinum with their bulbs totally or almost totally exposed, maybe I guessed. Certainly the bulb's size suggested it should at least be covered and that would have put it 6 or 7 inches to the base. Maybe I got lucky and the first year or two were not deathly cold here. In any case it must have been 4 or 5 years before I had to dig it (It was eating the path and we moved). The bulb had moved down to at least 15 inches to the base of the bulb, perhaps more. Does this species grow shallower in milder climates? Does this clone always pull itself down in cold climates or does it stay shallower and thus be less hardy in some other climate. Do different clones or other xpowelli behave differently? Does deep planting allow a more tender clone (i.e.Ellen Bousanquet) to survive colder climates. Wish I knew. When I moved, I divided the bulbs and planted them deep-at least 12 to 15 inches (hard clay soils). Now these bulbs are even bigger than ever and I don't have a power back hoe to dig them as much as they need digging and replacement with newer better cvs. I almost dread the thought of digging them. I'll get a picture to the wiki (somehow) to give you all an idea of their current size and hearty disposition. Just how deep does C. x powellii grow in mild climates? 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 +