I've been keeping a keen eye on this Babiana discussion and also taking a renewed interest in the many images on the wiki. Last summer Jane McGary sent me two species of Babiana, B. disticha and B. secunda. They are now in one of the cold frames and so far seem to be taking the winter well. Armed as I am now with a new small seed lots import permit, I'm also going over the Silverhill site very carefully. The small, fragrant Gladiolus in particular seem irresistible. Some of the small south African irids look superficially a lot like Juno irises. If the cold frame project continues to be as successful as it has been so far, some new, broader horizons will be beckoning strongly. And Mary Sue, expect to be hearing from me when I run into trouble - I'll be relying on your "been there, done that" experience. Ten years ago so much readily available information - and readily available plant material - would have been unthinkable for most of us. I sometimes feel I'm living in a golden age of gardening. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where a "winter mix" is forecast by the weather prophets. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/