Dear Andrew and all, Sorry for my slow response to this topic. Yes I do grow Ixiolirion tataricum, but not as well as I theoretically should. I understand that this is a bulb of the Central Asian Steppe area, not drastically unlike the Central US prairie where I live. Years ago I bought dozens of bulbs cheaply form a Dutch source expecting them to naturalize or at least be an easy subject. Most of them bloomed a beautiful medium to deep blue the first spring and then disappeared. I won't speculate why, but they did. Now perhaps 10 years later I do have a small clump on a steep west facing hill side that bakes seriously in the summer. I have a few Spuria Irises in the same area. They bloom reliably in the main spring season, but being rather short and hidden among taller plants I can easily miss the display. In short they are nice, but not a knock out by any means. I will remind you my continental climate is fairly extreme compared to Andrew's. Last winter we got down to -12 F had long periods with night time lows below 0 F and even longer below freezing (32 F). This summer we have had long periods over 100 F with night temps down to 80+ F. And an extended drought just recently and finally broken (!!) by an inch of rain. LAst winter we did have some snow cover, but this is not typical. I'd be happy if I could maintain a nice clump in one clear spot, but I am lucky they persist at all. On the other hand they are not expensive and you might just buy a couple and try them and improvise their growing conditions. 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 +