Dear All; A number of topics have been brought up here that I think I can address at least in part. Sun or Shade - I have seen a few species in bloom in the wild in a few locations and many in bloom in cultivation. Most species are found only in shade, but your definition of shade 'depends' . They are common in woodland edges where they may get a brief exposure to full sun, others are in open deciduous woodlands. In both cases their foliage would be in more sun when the foliage is active and their bloom in shade due to their growth cycle. I grow most of mine in some shade. Some Lycoris tolerate a LOT of sun, but it is climate dependant. Remember foliage is ONLY present in times of the year when sun is at 'low power' fall, early spring or winter. Bulbs DO NOT want summer baking, but some can tolerate it to some degree. and incidentally. Every species I have seen growing wild in China has been in a very mild climate. The bulbs were essentially at the surface in very damp sites. Year round wet sites. Even in cold climate the bulbs grow very shallowly. They benefit from year round watering. Sterile/Fertile the two most common Lycoris L. squamigera and L. radiata are represented in cultivation by sterile triploid forms. They (rarely) never produce viable seeds . These are very vigorous and tolerate a wide variety of climates. Here in the midwest masses of L. squamigera are common. In milder climates L. radiata (ssp radiata) are even more common and often considered agricultural weeds. They clog rice terraces in places and I have seen heaps of small bulbs tossed aside in weeding. Other species are very fertile and produce voluminous seed- L. longituba, L. chinensis., L. sprengeri. Seeds are large, rounded like small peas. Seeds germinate well, but are slow to reach blooming size. They are also very interfertile and form hybrid swarms from yellow to white, orange pink and peach shades. It makes ID very confusing. I have self sown seedlings in the garden from various species. Price I never understand this, but they all seem to be coming more and more specialty bulbs. They do have an odd life cycle which means the best time to divide, move, replant is from June to August with little root drying in the process. Bulbs submitted to Dutch regimes of summer digging, drying and holding until Oct sales are severely stressed and often are extremely slow to recover and resume bloom. Although the genus contains at least 25 species and numerous ssp and countless hybrids, few are common in commerce. Misidentification is extremely common. The best deal is to buy them direct from a specialty grower who knows how to handle them or potted for minimal disturbance. US versus UK Most Chinese Lycoris (most Lycoris) come from the continental climates of E and Central China. They do best in continental climates of E and Central US. The UK has a far more moderate climate without either summer or winter extremes. I'd think some of the Japanese species would do well there. Some species are quite hardy easily growing unprotected in parts of Zone 4 in the US. Critique L. squamigera is a near perfect garden subject for the midwest (at least). Totally hardy in Zone 5, with essentially no pests or diseases and blooms heavily in a time when few other plants are in flower. With a collection of various species and hybrids, bloom season can extend for 6 or more weeks. If it has any faults it is the voluminous foliage in spring, but that soon disappears and can be over planted with a variety of other summer growing plants. Drop me a private email and I'll send you a few pix of recently blooming species and hybrids. jwaddick@kc.rr.com. Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +