Sheri and all, Micro-environment seems to make a huge difference with marginally hardy bulbs. I mulch my Crinum bulbs that overwinter outdoors in the ground. Gladiolus survive in one spot but not in another. In a row of bulbs of a single clone of Nerine bowdenii, 2/3 die and the rest hang on. It is a bit mysterious. I am trying to get some of my Crinums tested in other gardens besides mine around here. I should have a better idea of their hardiness as time goes on. Jim Shields At 08:11 AM 11/27/2004 -0500, you wrote: >Jim and all - > >I second the vote on the hardy aloes! I have not trialed any of them yet. I >was able to move in August to an acre and a half of land with a house and a >huge barn that I am going to turn into a botanical garden. > >I did try a Crinium lily and set it up in a raised bed right against the >foundation of my greenhouse last winter and it did not make it. > >I am very interested in learning about some of the different plants and >bulbs that have been trialed in zone 5 and successfully over wintered. > >Sheri ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA