A. belladonna is a good species from which to form a test matrix. It is grown in many places and there are no real differences between the clones we all grow. In addition to soil moisture content another variable that might be included is shade. I've noticed that clumps in shade bloom later, by and large. Beyond that, it would become too complicated. For instance, some clumps have formed large mounds and these tend to perform a little earlier than those planted more recently and fully below soil (or gravel) level. But, let's exclude that factor because it's going to get too complicated to compare sites. Year to year variation in time is also clear. Last year was later than this but I have seen these same bulbs bloom weeks earlier than this also. Lastly, there is one factor that beggars description. For reasons unknown to me some clumps bloom every year without fail while others may miss a year or two now and again. I know of one person whose bulbs never bloom at all. Andrew San Diego Andrew, Your mentioning of A. belladonna gave me an idea for an interesting case study. If we could record the first blooming time of A. belladonna from southern CA up to Washington of outdoor bulbs for several years in a row, we could correlate it with various meteorological factors and hopefully come up with some data on what causes these bulbs to break dormancy. To start this, I have created a form that people can fill in. They can also write in to the group or privately to me as well. Here is the form: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/… jMF82VzZUTHZUN1E6MQ Everyone, if you grow this species, please keep an eye out for when you notice the buds break the ground and when the first flower opens. Thanks! Nhu On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 8:52 PM, AW <awilson@avonia.com> wrote: > > Amayllis belladonna is going full bore right now. >