Hi, I live in coastal Northern California. My assumption was that besides being able to grow bulbs that are native to my area, that I would have the best results with bulbs from Mediterranean climates. What I have found is that there is a large variation in what constitutes these kind of climates and that it isn't just when you get the rainfall, its day and night temperatures summer and winter, and soil and light conditions in your garden. There are some plants that I can easily grow in a pot that for whatever reason, just don't thrive in the ground. But this is true of plants that are native to my area as well. Examples of the latter are Camassia quamash, Brodiaea terrestris, and Calochortus tolmieii. The first two grow naturally a five minute walk from my house. The first however is found is areas that are seasonally waterlogged whereas my soil which is mostly decomposed sandstone drains fairly well and only after heavy rainfall is their briefly standing water. I've successfully grow it from seed and flowered it in containers, but if any of the bulbs are still in the ground where I planted them, I haven't seen them bloom. Brodiaea terrestris grows so well in my area that sometimes it is hard not to step on it when hiking. It's never thrived in my garden, but does fine in a pot. I thought I might have luck with Australian geophytes if I picked ones from some of the Mediterranean areas, but most have dwindled away except for some Arthropodium in pots. Plants I planted out did not do well in the ground. I can easily grow shrubs from Australia, but do best with ones that come from areas that don't get quite so hot in summer and have more rainfall. Perth probably has a rainfall pattern similar to mine, but temperatures in summer are much much warmer. I haven't had great success with Western Australian plants. The only Chilean bulbs I've been able to grow well also are in pots and did not survive the ground test. After I read an article that said Leucocoryne needed heat to flower well, I have been unpotting it every year and storing the bulbs upstairs in my house where temperatures are the warmest in summer and that has yielded more flowers. Ipheion uniflorum is not a Mediterranean climate plant, but it survives/thrives in the ground without summer water on the other hand. I've had more luck with South African plants in my garden, especially ones in the Iridaceae and Hyacinthaceae families, but also some of them do better in containers even if I leave them out to be exposed to the elements. My assumption would be that the plants from the southwestern Cape would be the ones I'd have the best results with since the climate there is more like mine. But I am sure there is great variation in the habitats and rainfall even in this broad area and some of the species I thought I could grow well haven't done well at all. Others are thriving and coming back year after year. On the other hand I'd think that winter rainfall South African plants from the drier areas would not be happy in my garden with its excessive humidity and rainfall in winter and although that probably is mostly true, there are some things I grow from dry areas that are doing just fine. As for the Amaryllids from South Africa, I have become very fond of Haemanthus and so far am doing the best with summer rainfall species/year round rainfall species than any of the winter rainfall ones with the exception of Haemanthus albiflos which grows in areas with summer and winter rainfall. I have been able to get Brunsvigia grandiflora to bloom for the third year in a row and it isn't a Mediterranean species and once had one winter rainfall Brunsvigia species bloom, but nothing from any of the others. As for Gethyllis, most of the ones I purchased are history and none of the ones I grew from seed ever returned. I'm finally getting a few blooms from winter rainfall Strumaria and Hessea, but they are in pots. Nerine humilis and Nerine pudica are blooming in the ground and they are southwest Cape species that I am apparently able to grow successfully, but I found that Nerine sarniensis did not do well outside. The leaves got diseased in winter and it seems to need more moisture in summer in containers that most of my other bulbs so I just leave it in the greenhouse year round and water it every two or three weeks when it is dormant. It too grows in the southwest Cape. Summer rainfall species, Nerine angustifolia and Nerine platypetala on the other hand seem to do quite well left outside in containers where they are a bit sheltered from my winter rainfall as long as I remember to give them occasional water during the summer. I must confess that I haven't spent enough time really figuring out which of the European areas have climates like mine, but am finding some of the things I've gotten from Jane over the years are doing fine, but I haven't tested them in the garden. Partly it is a matter of running out of room and areas where there is enough light since I have so much shade in my garden. I suspect some of the plants from these regions would do well, but I did learn from Lauw that when they get their rain in his area of France which is considered Mediterranean is quite different from when we get our rainfall here. Mary Sue Mary Sue Ittner California's North Coast Wet mild winters with occasional frost Dry mild summers