On 5 May 08, at 22:04, Jane McGary wrote: > Rodger Whitlock, gardening somewhat north of me in the Pacific > Northwest, listed as undependable (i.e., difficult or impossible to > establish) some bulbs I also have trouble with. The big snowflakes > (the ones still in the genus Leucojum and not transferred to Acis) do > not flower here though the plants hang on. I attribute this problem to > a fast-draining mineral soil that I can't keep adequately moist in > summer. Oddly enough, dirty ol' commercial from-a-garden-centre Leucojum aestivum (maybwe 'Gravetye Giant') does quite well for me. Flowers reliably and no signs of grass due to fly attack. But I *do* garden on a quite heavy soil with a high water table so there's always at least a whiff of moisture, even in mid-summer. This inspires me to pass on some advice for those of you frustrated with sharp-draining soils who want to do something about it. Clay works, but the trick is to dry it out during the summer, break it up into smallish lumps, and broadcast these on the surface in the fall. The winter rains will break down the lumps and wash the clay into the soil. If you try digging it in, all you end up with is sand with lumps of clay in it here and there. It may also help if you can excavate your beds and put a thick layer of old newpapers at the bottom before backfilling with soil. Back to narcissus fly: I am surprised that no enterprising pesticide company has come up with a pheromone attractant. Anybody heard of such a thing? -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island