Jim wrote (excerpted), My Arum pictum >(from Jane) is progressing nicely, but I don’t expect it to survive in the >open garden here. >Until this year I’ve grown Notholirion thomsonianum in a pot. This year it’s >in the ground (still in the protected cold frame), its roots free to wander. >It looks bigger and lustier this year it would be nice to see it in bloom. Arum pictum (not to be confused with Arum italicum 'Pictum') turns out to be hardier than the books say. Some small ones in a well-drained spot in my garden survived well last winter, including 17 degrees F and a couple of weeks under heavy snow while in leaf. Notholirion thomsonianum does best if given a fairly unrestricted root run, so I grow it in a mesh bin plunged in the sand in the frame, and also in a sandy, rocky bed in the open garden. It blooms in both places. I haven't looked at the leaves of the exposed ones since we had 12 degrees F here last week, but in any case the small bulblets will probably survive. The trick to getting it to bloom is to ensure a dry summer dormancy, which would be difficult for Jim on the Atlantic coast. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA