Several interesting topics have come up here. First, good to hear from Yuri Pirogov near Moscow, who observes that his collected Ixiolirion have done better in his severe-winter climate than have Dutch imports of the same species. This should encourage us to try to obtain wild-collected seed of I. tataricum (I think there is at least one other species?) and try raising it ourselves. Second, Jim McKenney wrote that he believes his native soil, acid clay, is not good for many bulbs. In fact being lodged in damp clay in summer might be bad for them, but I don't think acidity itself would be a problem for most species. I grow hundreds of bulbous species that come from areas with alkaline soil, and I grow them in a slightly acidic but very well drained medium. I've rarely bothered to add lime to my growing mix. A very good gardener once told me that he thought almost no plant requires lime as long as it is provided with enough fertilizer, although, on the other hand, some plants (including many ericaceous ones) don't grow well in an alkaline soil. There is widespread thought that plants endemic to ultramafic (serpentine) soils do not require serpentine, either, and certainly I grow a number of serpentine endemics without making any adjustment to the soil; the theory is that these plants tolerate, but do not require, an ultramafic substrate, and benefit from the lack of competition where plants that can't tolerate it are excluded. Moreover, when you visit limestone ranges, especially in the far North, you'll see many ericaceous plants and other "lime-haters" growing in organic deposits over the limestone. Older books on growing alpines, especially, offer numerous recipes for potting mixes, with elaborate lists of the particular plants to be grown in each, but not many of us follow these rules nowadays. I do have a peat bed in the rock garden, but it's primarily for moisture retention in summer, and in it several terrestrial orchids usually seen in limestone areas are flourisihing. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA