> > >Lifting Urginea maritima for the winter would be disastrous, as it is a >winter-growing plant from Mediterranean coasts - whence it is collected for >export by unscrupulous bulb companies. It is extremely frost-sensitive and >will promptly be killed by more than a degree or two of frost. > John, Well don't you DARE tell that (the frost sensitive bit) to the bulbs of it that I grow. ;-) Maybe we here in Aus have a strain that doesn't mind frost but my 2 bulbs of it even just took without any problem an unseasonably early -5 followed by -6'C the two mornings over the weekend. So many other things got hit badly as this is VERY early for that hard a frost here and a lot of things were still only closing down for the winter and hadn't completely hardened off (so to speak). So many plants in our garden pulped to a certain degree that would normally easily accept -6'C later in winter when they have prepared for it. Even with this early low the Urginea maritima are doing just fine and not looking like they've been damaged in the slightest. Big healthy leaves are still there, having emerged in teh last month or so and still growing. They went through last winter fine as well, taking -8'C as well, so I do wonder whether the seed of the bulbs I bought was actually from some colony that was frost hardy? Interesting that it shouldn't be at all frost hardy. Definitely have to agree that it is a winter growing bulb here though <grin>. I HAVE heard of a number of South African (in particular) bulbs, mainly amaryllids as I recall, that seem to grow in opposite patterns in some parts of the US to that which they originally come from. I can recall a couple of discussions where people were surprise that a particular plant was summer or winter dormant when it was supposed to be the opposite, but apparently some aspect of the climate has triggered an opposite dormancy for some reason? It is quite fascinating to hear about differences like these such as different seasons and frost hardiness etc. It makes forums like these so worthwhile as some of the "definites" for a particular plant sometimes aren't as definite for otehrs <big grin>. Cheers. Paul Tyerman Canberra, Australia. USDA equivalent - Zone 8/9 Growing.... Galanthus, Erythroniums, Fritillarias, Cyclamen, Crocus, Cyrtanthus, Oxalis, Liliums, Hellebores, Aroids, Irises plus just about anything else that doesn't move!!!!!