Max wrote, One thing I can contribute: all the species >I have tried (including kennedyi, catalinae, and striatus) have >germinated well under cold stratification, even if they did not >require it. After germination, my luck has been less good, though I do >still have 3rd year seedlings of the above-named spp. The three species Max mentions have all survived to mature size here in a much less congenial climate than Oakland, but under cover in frames where moisture can be controlled. Kennedyi and catalinae have flowered but striatus has not (perhaps it misses its severely alkaline natural soil?). It took C. kennedyi about 6 years from seed to flowering, but I think catalinae was a bit faster. Some that can flower in 4 years from seed are C. venustus, C. tolmiei, C. uniflorus, and C. obispoensis. When planting Calochortus seed, do not crowd them in the pot, because they're very susceptible to damping off. I leave the seedlings in their seed pots for 2 years, giving them a little liquid fertilizer, then put them in deep clay pots, about halfway down. Eventually they "drop" to near the bottom of the pot, and I'm sure they will be much happier int he 18-inch/45-cm depth to which I'm moving them this fall. I lifted the last pots from the bulb frames Saturday morning, and just in time, too, because tonight it's raining a little. I left a number of species in their pots in a shady place -- those that dislike disturbance and storage, such as Anemone, Ranunculus, Lewisia, and Lomatium, and a few that were still in growth, such as Alstroemeria. Now I hope I have time to rescue all the volunteers that came up in the plunge sand between the pots! The beds in the new bulb house will be built next week. Jane McGary Northwestern Oregon, USA