Gail wrote >I've recently joined as a member in the Boston >area. I've been searching in this area to buy a >about a dozen Scilla melaina bulbs, but have >had no luck. Finally I found the exact plant on >your website. Does anyone know where I could order them from? Thank you. -Gail The photo of Scilla melaina in the Rix and Phillips "Bulbs" color paperback is very tempting and may have been what set Gail on her quest. In fact, the blue of the flowers is not QUITE as pure as the photo suggests, but it is a pretty plant. As far as I know, it is not offered as a bulb by any North American supplier. The website another correspondent mentioned is that of Paul Christian; if he has it this year, the price will be high and, very likely, the bulbs small. I grew it from seed obtained from Jim and Jenny Archibald (jjaseeds.com), and it took about 4 years to flower. It does not increase much vegetatively, which is probably why it's not in commerce, and it seems rather tender, though it does survive freezing temperatures -- they probably set it back. In Boston it would be strictly a greenhouse plant. As I discussed in the latest issue of "The Bulb Garden" newsletter (sent to members of PBS but not to those who only join the e-forum), there are many little-known, well-behaved Scilla species (now proposed to be split into many smaller genera), and some of them are, in my opinion, prettier than S. melaina though perhaps not as photogenic (or as Photoshopped). Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA