Rodger wrote, F. pudica: this is native to the Okanagan area of British Columbia: a >very hot, very dry area where all herbaceous vegetation is burnt to a >crisp by the sun in summer. I have the impression that it prefers a >fairly alkaline soil, but I can't quote my source. I have never >succeeded in keeping it alive for more than a year or two. Fritillaria pudica also (and I think more commonly) grows in acidic soils. It flourishes in my bulb frames, but few people in this area manage to keep it going in the open garden, however close to us it is native. I think it needs a drier winter. In nature, its habitat is slightly moist in fall, variably moist (often frozen) in winter, quite moist in spring, and very dry, as Rodger says, in summer. The plants usually grow on fairly steep slopes and banks in rocky soil. Olsynium douglasii and Erythronium grandiflorum are frequent companions in the Columbia Gorge, where F. pudica can be seen in flower in late March and April. I believe the Dutch stocks are grown much like tulips, which enjoy a similar annual cycle. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA