Jim Waddick raises some good points in his discussion of Lycoris in the wild. In particular, I'm intrigued by "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." Everyone who has grown Lycoris squamigera knows that it can be unpredictable about blooming. Many of us have often wondered why. Anyone who has much experience with garden peonies knows that they require shallow planting - the growth buds should be within an inch or two of the surface. Failure to ensure that means lusty plants with no flowers. Now I wonder if the same might be true of Lycoris squamigera. Could shallow planting be one key to abundant flowering in climates like this one where the plants otherwise seem very much at home? Jim McKenney Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I'm now considering giving my Lycoris a lift.