On 14 Jul 06, at 10:28, Lee Poulsen wrote: > ...Tecophilaea cyanocrocus... Osmani Baullosa, who lives in Chile, and > has been offering a large number of spectacular native Chilean bulbs > and other plants, cannot find or get hold of either seed or bulbs > anywhere in his country. They are completely unavailable to him there. A horticultural friend and her boat-oriented husband went to Chile some years ago for a sailing regatta. After she returned, in conversation I mentioned tecophilaea. Her reply was "oh, that blue thing they grow in the gardens in Santiago." From what she said, tecophilaea is well known as a garden plant in Chile, at least among the more serious gardeners. Why Osmani Baullosa is unable to acquire any locally is a mystery to me. Is there perhaps another blue bulb that my friend mistook for tecophilaea? -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island