I have grown about thirty different colchicums in wet humid summers here in New Jersey about 100 miles north of Jim M. I have planted them in garden soil augmented with at least 50% grit by volume. The drainage is excellent and they have multiplied nicely. It seems the flowers are more robust as time goes by with more and larger blooms on most. The foliage persists in the first part of the summer dying back around late June to July. I cover the bare ground in fall after blooms have all faded with evergreen boughs over dried leaves to hold them in place. I usually don't water the area in summers but we get a good amount of rain fall, except for this year. The drought has prevented the falling over of the blooms which is possibly one of the only draw backs to growing colchicums other than the large cabbage like foliage which comes up in spring. Arnold New Jersey