Dear Rob, I know you have had a couple of responses on other forums with suggestions, but none on ours. I hope Bill Dijk who has been very busy will comment since he seems successful in growing a lot of South African amaryllids from seed as well. My experience is very limited at this stage and only Cyrtanthus and Nerine have I gotten to bloom stage (and some of those are summer rainfall). I lose a lot of all the things I grow that first year so don't feel like I'm in any position to offer advice. The number that return the second year is often less. It seems like if you can get them through the second year your chances are a lot better. I start most of my South African winter rainfall seeds in my greenhouse because we have excessive rain during the months when they would have just germinated. It provides a little extra heat during the day and having them in one place reminds me to water them with dilute fertilizer so they will grow faster and be able to survive dormancy better. Usually the Amaryllids have kept growing through the first year like you describe your summer rainfall species. I wonder if light is another factor. I always marvel at how fast Sheila and Mary from Western Australia can get things to bloom from seed and someone suggested their high level of light is a help. It sounds like you have had a lot of success from your reports. Which things have not come back and is it a question of their just not coming up (my ongoing experience with Ornithogalum dubium) or not being there the next year? Mary Sue