Cardiocrinums here in the Pacific Northwest usually make one or more offsets before flowering when grown in a suitable situation, as Jim's garden must be. It seems from his post that the continuity was provided by seedlings, not offsets. Self-sowing in this genus is far less reliable in my experience because the first-year plants are so vulnerable to slugs. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA >I sowed seed of Cardiocrinum cordatum in 1985 and had my first bloom >in 1992, and it has been a dependable presence ever since, plants >popping up wherever, in due time, sending up a flower stalk, and >then, of course, dying. However, two years ago a plant, presumably >in an optimum situation, grew and grew, and when the next year I dug >in that spot I found two large bulbs. I moved them to a more >appropriate place and, lo and behold, I now have two separate flower >stalks pushing up, ready to burst into bloom. What in the world >will the future bring? > > >Have any others had this sort of experience? > > >Jim Jones >Lexington, MA