True, southern Greece is considerably damper than southern California. On the other hand southern Greece is considerably drier than Northwest Oregon. If Jim Waddick hadn't successfully grown Crocus goulimyi in his former garden, I'd guess that Kansas City's heat and humidity were the cause of its failure in his current garden. Maybe his erstwhile garden had more porous soil? Snow cover is inconsistent in central Massachusetts, although my flats (whose main function is indeed to exclude hungry rodents) do get a thin blanket of pine needles or leaves. Snow cover is also inconsistent in Madison, Wisconsin, where C. goulimyi winters, according to a reliable source. Sometimes plants are a mystery. Russell At 02:21 PM 10/21/2010, you wrote: On the contrary, Crocus goulimyi is native to the Peloponnese, where winters are mild and damp. It usually is seen in very rocky, poor, limestone soils. Possibly Russell's plants have snow cover during cold periods, or the flats protect them from burrowing rodents. It does well in the bulbs frames for me, but voles may have destroyed it in the garden. Russell Stafford Odyssey Bulbs PO Box 382 South Lancaster, MA 01561 508-335-8106 http://www.odysseybulbs.com/