The on-going discussion about Alstoemeria aurea prompts me to write about my own experiences: I've had it for many years tight against the south-facing foundation where it thrives or at least survives (e.g in the -12o winter). Nature takes care of its spreading tendencies, hammering down runners that go beyond a certain limit. When it comes time to unveil the Colchicum I just pull out the Alstroemeria shoots by the handful. Mixed with the Alstroemeria is an Argemone pleiacantha hybrid to make a quite unlikely midsummer show. A bulb I overlooked: Cardiocrinum cordatum. I raised it from seed; after 7-years it put forth droopy off-white flowers, in July, and died. But not to despair! Seven years later self-sown seedlings came to maturity, a cycle that has been going on for 23 years now. The leaves just as they emerge in late April are spectacular, mottled and shiny, and though this fades in a few weeks they remain attractive. Jim Jones Lexington MA Z5-6