Colchicum is at its best here too, making really welcome patches of colour in the grass and in the border. I find them inconvenient in the border, because the ground must be fre of other vegetation for when they flower, which usually means leaving a bare patch all summer (I don't like bare patches), but now its all well worthwhile. Luckily it has been rather dry for the past 10 days or so, thank goodness, and in consequence the slugs aren't quite as rampant as they were at the beginning of the month, giving the colchies a chance. I fully agree with Jim Waddick about their value as cut flowers and love to have a few vases of them in the house either mixed varieties or separately. Bowles wrote 'All varieties of C. speciosum [but it's true for all] are good for indoor decoration and when gathered will last for nearly a week in a bowl,with or without water. They are particularly beautiful by artificial light, which enhances the red tints of the blossoms.' John Grimshaw Dr. John M. Grimshaw Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Tel. 01242 870567