Hi all, Around Indiana towns, the white trumpet flowers of Hosta planteginea (spelled?) are much in evidence now. So are the stalks of pink flowers of Lycoris squamigera. In my garden, the last reblooms of Crinum variabile are starting to fade. Hardy Gladiolus of South African origins like G. oppositiflorus salmoneus (salmon colored) and G. x-gandavensis (light yellow) are just now in flower. The most striking flowers in my garden, in colors and in numbers, are the hardy Lycoris. In full bloom are Lycoris sprengeri, L. longituba, and L. chinensis. One bulb of L. [longituba X rosea] is blooming for the first time, with large spidery pink flowers. Other Lycoris hybrids are just now shooting up scapes, including L. [chinensis X x-haywardii] and its inverse, [x-haywardii X chinensis]. Heavily mulched Kniphofia hirsutus is sending up rebloom scapes, probably thanks to all the rain we have had here in the past few weeks. In pots and containers, Hymenocallis acutifolia is sending up its first scapes; Cypella coelestis is starting to bloom. Under the benches in the lath house, Cyclamen africanum is blooming prematurely, again probably due to recent rains. We don't have any late summer wild bulbs, but along the shady edges of the woods and streams, wild sunflower (Helianthus sp.) and the tall bellflower, Campanula americana, are in bloom. This is late summer in Indiana. Jim Shields ************************************************* 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