Jim SHields wrote, >the 6 Crocus nudiflorus >corms I received from Jane in 2004 (Jane, we are going to miss your surplus >bulbs badly!) are starting to flower, and seem to have increased to 8. Cr. >nudiflorus I've had previously never bloomed and eventually disappeared >completely. The same stock is flowering here in both the garden and the bulb frame. This is one of the hardier fall-blooming crocuses and probably one that is best adapted to summer-rainfall climates. It's welcome for its strong violet color. When you lift this crocus, you will usually find curious cormlets with long white "droppers". I don't know whether these are vegetative increase or whether they result from seeds in capsules that remain buried rather than extending on stems when the seeds are ripe. You can plant these little ones out separately and they will bloom in another 2 years. You need not miss the surplus bulbs for too long, because I've been sharing my stock with Mark Akimoff of Illahe Nursery in Salem, Oregon, who is increasing them for eventual mail-order sale. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA