Paul in Canberra wrote, Tropaeolum tricolor isn't bothered by -8 or -9'C in the slightest. I grow it >outside here, both in 8 inch black plastic pots and in the >ground. No problemo at all here at least, but obviously I can't >vouch for any colder. An interesting thing about this species is its wide distribution in the wild. You can see it right on the coastal strip where there probably is never anything approaching frost, and up into the Andean foothills flowering within the winter snow zone, in really nasty chilly weather. I suspect seeds from the populations in colder areas would produce hardier plants than seeds from the coast. I don't know where the material in general cultivation came from originally, though. Like Diana I prefer twiggy branches to chicken wire supports for the small trops. When we get a severe cold snap and I have to lay microfoam sheets over my bulbs, I carefully lift the trop supports and lay them flat, then reset them when I remove the foam. You can manipulate the threadlike stems quite a bit without harming them. T. brachyceras seems to be the most cold-hardy species I have here. I've recently seen it on Dutch wholesale lists, so perhaps Russell Stafford (Odyssey Bulbs) will be bringing in tubers? Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA