Germination of autumn-sown bulbs is generally pretty straightforward. At least, for seeds I have taken from bulbs I grow here, it is. For bulbs that come from elsewhere the process is certainly not so predictable. Much to my chagrin, I must report that bulb seeds germinating this week include Lachenalia species! Last week it was Sparaxis, Babiana and Lapeirousea. But, Romuleas - no sign of germination yet! Seeds were sown in late September and early October. We are now almost in January. It's true that this area of southern California is very temperate, with frost being quite rare. So, the classic explanation for this lengthy germination time is that the are insufficient hours of low temperatures to induce germination. However, convenient as that explanation may be, it does not explain why seeds collected from bulbs grown here (including Lachenalia, Babiana and Sparaxis, etc.) germinate abundantly in October without any special encouragement to do so while seeds from other sources (from southern hemisphere and possibly with cooler winters) do not. I must add that, for autumnally germinated species, Watsonia and most Gladiolus species germinate readily here in October, no matter whether the seeds are from my own stock or not. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who has seen this behavior. Andrew San Diego