Some plants of Ornithogalum dubium which were planted in pots last fall and wintered in a cold frame are finally coming into bloom. They sure took long enough; but wow, what a color that is. Miscellaneous western North American bulbs are blooming or coming into bloom (Brodiaea, Dichelostemma, Triteleia, Calochortus), the first of the lilies began last week and now even the earliest of the Asiatic hybrids has started. Cardiocrinum cathayanum is blooming in a friend’s garden; my C. cordatum will not be in bloom for about another month. Notholirion thomsonianum is now dormant for the summer. It's in its third season here but has never bloomed. I feed it gently, but it seems to make no difference: suggestions, anyone? Much of the early blooming bulb collection is now under cover and slowly drying out: we’re getting drenched almost every other day now. It’s a real pleasure to tip out the pots and find fat and sassy bulbs, isn’t it? The garden is now full of the big ornamental onions. I measured one Allium schubertii and the inflorescence is 23 inches in diameter! Also blooming is the allium look-alike Scadoxus multiflorus. I've decided to give this plant an award for having an excellent work to reward ratio: I do very little to keep it going from year to year but it never disappoints. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone 7, where the first water lily buds are up. 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/