James Waddick wrote: > Dear all, > I find all the pros and cons of bulb needs very interesting, > but like Adam give high credence to provenance or where the bulb > originated. Ixiolirion is a plant of Central Asian steppes and would > seem tailor made for my growing conditions in the Central American > Steppes (U.S. Prairie) . Cold winter, low to moderate rainfall, high > temps in summer. limestone soils etc etc. > Perhaps the bulbs genetic transposition through Dutch care > has made them less agreeable to quasi-native treatments. > > Harold Koopowitz once told me very nearly this same thing about some of the bulb types that have gone through centuries, even, of Dutch treatment and selection to what they are today. I dimly recall that he was referring to tulips and hyacinths especially, since hyacinths originally were mediterranean climate plants, but most of the Dutch cultivars don't do well at all in our area (Southern California). And that had the Dutch not chosen results of all their tulip breeding that only did well in their climate over the centuries, but instead tried crossing and growing out all sorts of hybrids regardless of their adaptability to the Dutch climate, we might today have some spectacular tulip cultivars that would grow well and naturalize here in California rather than needing to be grown like annuals and be pre-chilled in the refrigerator, etc. --Lee Poulsen Pasadena, California, USDA Zone 10a