Jim SHields's list of plants that he considers diagnostic of his region (central Indiana) is a good example of how difficult it is to use the word "hardy" without qualifying it. Even though I live in an area that is warmer in absolute terms (i.e., winter lows) than where Jim is, I can't grow Crinum or Lycoris outdoors, and he mentions a number of species in these genera that do well for him. I think the difference is mainly summer humidity, which is low here in the West, resulting in sharp night temperature drops even when daytime temperatures soar into the 90s F (c. 35 C). I would not call these plants "hardy" in western Oregon, but obviously they can survive colder winters than we normally have, as long as they enjoy the sort of summer climate they evolved in. I've learned through the years and many killed plants to be wary of species from southeastern North America and East Asia, especially Japan. I expect I'll be able to grow them better once I move from my rural property in the Cascades foothills to a close-in suburb about 1200 feet lower down, and within the range of the "urban heat island," where night temperatures don't drop so sharply. I know that, for example, Iris cristata grows well in Portland though it fades away up here. On the other hand, Jim's list contains plants that come from "my" climate rather than from "his" -- Chionodoxa, Colchicum speciosum, the crocuses, Narcissus calcicola, and Sternbergia lutea. They must thrive partly because Jim has given them special conditions, and partly because these are naturally very adaptable plants, much as the East Asia hostas adapt well to my garden despite their ancestral range. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA Jim's list >How about approaching this from the point of view of what species are hardy >in a given location, e.g., central Indiana in my case? > > >I can grow the following here, with survival times of several years or longer: > >Arisaema heterophyllum, stewardsonii*, triphyllum >Chionodoxa lucilae >Colchicum autumnale, byzantinum, cilicicum, speciosum >Corydalis angustifolia, solida >Crinum bulbispermum, variabile >Crocosmia 'Lucifer' >Crocus tommasinianus, nudiflorus, cartwrightinaus >Fritillaria acmopetala, crassifolia kurdica, pallidiflora >Galtonia candicans* >Gladiolus caucasicus, imbricatus, italicus, oppositiflorus salmoneus >Hemerocallis coreana, dumortieri, minor, thunbergii >Iris delavayi, sanguinea, setosa, siberica cvs., tectorum, versicolor >Lycoris caldwellii, chinensis, longituba, sprengeri, squamigera >Narcissus calcicola*, obvalleris, large-cup cvs. >Scilla siberica >Sternbergia lutea >Trillium sp. > >* indicates survives in restricted locations