Hi all, Jim W. got me started growing Crinum outdoors in the ground. I have found that bulbs less than 2" in diameter do not survive the winter in the ground at my place. Larger bulbs of x-powellii, bulbispermum, variabile, [bulbispermum x lugardiae], and [variabile x bulbispermum] survive in the ground year after year, and most eventually bloom. Look for a superior selection of [variabile x bulbispermum] to be released some year by Tony Avent. A few [bulbispermum x macowanii] and [bulbispermum x graminicola] have survived a few winters in the ground, but I eventually chickened out and lifted them The few survivors are in pots now. A couple bulbs of Namibian Crinum lugardiae survived a couple winters in the ground before disappearing, but the larger form of lugardiae from KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa did not survive outdoors in the ground at all. Some bulbispermum from Texas collected by (I think) Al Sisk have survived unprotected and are blooming right now. Not all that Al sent me survived, however. Other bulbispermum next to my greenhouse bloom early, reliably, and set lots of seed. Some of it sometimes finds its way to the PBS BX. I think folks in zones 5 and warmer should try just strewing the bulbispermum seeds into or under mulch and see what happens. I'm not crazy about the flowers on x-powellii but I like those on bulbispermum and I love the flowers on variabile and some of the [variabile x bulbispermum]. The world needs more beautiful and hardy crinums. We are USDA cold zone 5 here. When the ground freezes really deeply (1 to 2 ft. deep), the bulbs are damaged but recover over a period of a couple years. Mulching is especially important for the first couple of winters, but after that it does not seem to matter as much. Varieties of questionable hardiness should go at the base of a south-facing wall; up against the foundation of your home is best! Jim Shields in Westfield, Indiana USA ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA