In a message dated 6/4/06 2:26:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time,"Jim McKenney" jimmckenney@starpower.net writes: I've grown Allium caeruleum and Ixiolirion off and on for decades. Until I protected the Allium with a glass cover during the summer, it rarely reappeared or prospered or bloomed after the first year. Now that I cover it during the summer, it increases prodigiously and blooms very freely yearly. ======== Regarding A. caeruleum, I must try what you suggest, because the plants always look great the first year after planting, then they just produce leaves and dimished growth in subsequent years. Maybe you've found the secret to this plant's longevity in cultivation, I'll give it a try. Mark McDonough Pepperell, Massachusetts, United States antennaria@aol.com "New England" USDA Zone 5 ============================================== >> web site under construction - http://www.plantbuzz.com/ << alliums, bulbs, penstemons, hardy hibiscus, western american alpines, iris, plants of all types!