Ixiolirion is one of those plants whose ubiquity (in catalogs at least) and low price cause prospective growers to take less than seriously. Allium caeruleum is another one. I have no idea how these behave in other climates, but under my conditions many bulbs, and these two in particular, need to mature into drought. May is one of the busiest months in the garden, with something new and beautiful coming along every day. For the bulb grower in my climate, it’s also one of the most dangerous: rapidly rising soil temperatures combined with wet conditions can quickly spell disaster for bulbs. With so many distractions, it’s hard to think of bulbs you can’t even see, but it’s extremely important to give them what they need. What they need is drought. This year May seems to have brought rain, thunder and lightning several times a week. I got the covers on the arilate irises just in time. Tulips in the garden (in contrast to those grown under cover) were wet throughout May and into June. I got most of the bulbs out of the ground just in time, although there are some rotters among the tulips, alliums and colchicums. All of the Fritillaria here are grown under cover, so their exposure to moisture is better controlled. Under my conditions, Ixiolirion needs the same treatment given to the western North American bulbs such as Brodiaea, Dichelostemma, Triteleia, Calochortus and the like: no water during the last month above ground. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7 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/