I'll bet that Jim Waddick is right that pH alone will not explain our problems with Fritillaria imperialis. However, I'm convinced it's a step in the right direction for those of us on the East Coast. It might be a case where some pathogen in our soils is deterred by a shift in the pH, or it might be a case where some nutrient is more readily taken up in soils with a higher pH. Years ago I used to dig bulbs of Fritillaria imperialis for the summer. Even bulbs stored in the open air inside the house developed necrotic spots and rotted. So as with pH, moist summer conditions alone can not explain our problems. But this failure provides a hint, doesn't it? Whatever was causing the bulbs to rot was in/on the bulbs by the time they ripened. The rot occurs even in bulbs which do not have soil contact during the dormant period. The local Fusarium are at the top of my list of suspects. And the slightly cooler conditions provided by the shade of deciduous trees is definitely worth investigating. I have not given up! 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/