>Hi all. What makes erythroniums bloom?. I have a patch of them here near >Chicago (natives I think) and only about 10-15% bloom each year > >Dear Adam, I wish I knew. I have a small patch of wild collected (from down the hill) Erythronium albidum. They bloom fairly well, but must have 2 leaves per plant before they bloom. Plants with one leaf do not bloom. In the wild you can find hillsides with hundreds of plants and only a hand full of flowers. I have 3 named E. dens-canis and 2 have never bloomed in a 10 years; the 3rd has produced one bloom one year and this year a record 2 flowers. They all produce abundant and lovely foliage. But then E. 'Pagoda' is pretty reliable about blooming every year -more or less each year. I sure don't see a pattern. Best Jim W. -- Dr. James W. Waddick 8871 NW Brostrom Rd. Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711 USA Ph. 816-746-1949 Zone 5 Record low -23F Summer 100F +