'Tis the season to be jolly, but I was pretty grumpy the other morning when I looked at my Lachenalia. I've been trying to keep them as cool as possible, and with that in mind they have been outside day and night for weeks except for those nights when frost was predicted. When I examined them the other day, I saw that several of them had been decapitated: something had snapped the stems just below the inflorescence. What caused this? The first hint is the location of the plants: they were on the front porch. Evidently, when the morning newspaper was thrown up onto the porch, it clipped the Lachenalia. The paper is delivered in the dark, so I can't really complain. After moving the plants, another problem became apparent. Just as the most advanced plants began to show color, one by one the buds began to disappear. The likely culprits: sparrows, literally dozens of which hang out in the vines on the house wall. Their merry chirping is very cheerful during the winter, so I'm not going to get a cat. Luckily, I'm a very patient person: there is always next year! Season's Greetings Everyone, Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/