My Tecophilea are all pot grown in the greenhouse, they are not hardy outdoors, unfortunately. So no rain on them. They get the same regimen as all my other winter growing bulbs and are therefore dry in summer. I should clarify that - water is withheld from mid-June onwards, after the foliage is clearly defunct, and no further water is given until September. They get repotted in late July or early August into just damp compost, not through choice, that's the way it comes out of the bag. I don't ever deliberately keep summer dormant bulbs damp during dormancy. In our climate it is a sure recipe for rot. Those that have been suggested to want some moisture during dormancy, like Tecophilea and the S. American Nothoscordum/Ipheion complex, do very well drying out naturally out of the full blast of the sun. Regarding watering Tecophilea, I water first in September then keep the pots moist until growth starts in earnest, at which point they will take plenty of moisture. This is usually sometime in late January. They want a lot in the spring when they are in active growth and are quick to show when they need more. The leaf color changes and they wilt a little. The time I have lost some is when I have watered too much, too early. Flowering ability seems to be just dependent upon corm size in my hands. Best, J. John T Lonsdale PhD 407 Edgewood Drive, Exton, Pennsylvania 19341, USA Home: 610 594 9232 Cell: 484 678 9856 Fax: 801 327 1266 Visit "Edgewood" - The Lonsdale Garden at http://www.edgewoodgardens.net/ USDA Zone 6b