Greetings from the Bay Park neighborhood of San Diego, my name is Ken Blackford. I've had an interest in bulbs since transplanting daffodils from abandoned farms as a kid in SE Michigan and Ontario. I also grew the other standard fare for the Northern Midwest ... peonies, crocus, German iris, lilies, glads, trillium and hyacinths. I moved to California and the San Francisco Bay area in the 70s and discovered South African bulbs! With my move to San Diego at the end of the 20th century, the South Africans made even more sense in the long, bone dry extended summers and short mild winters here. I've taken a particular interest in the Amaryllids ... Amaryllis belladonna, its hybrids, Brunsvigia, Boophane (Boophone?), a few Crinums and others. I enjoy growing plants from seed, although I find my patience wanes as I get older. With my subscription to this list, I look forward to hearing and learning from others experiences. Ken USDA zone 10, maybe 11. Normal winter lows in the upper 30s, late summer highs in the upper 70s to low 80s.