Following up on Nhu's very kind donation of Calochortus seeds, here is a bit of cultural information on some of them, written by Hugh McDonald for the old Calochortus Society newsletter. McDonald gardened in the San Francisco Bay Area (Hayward and Berkeley) and generally used a mix of 50-50 peat and sand. So you may want to tweak his instructions for your own conditions... Mike San Jose, CA ===== Species requiring stratification: C. bruneaunis C. elegans C. leichtlinii C. macrocarpus C. nuttallii C. palmeri C. bruneaunis and C. macrocarpus are especially tricky because they grow in the desert, so they need both stratification and limited watering in winter. When growing them in Berkeley, McDonald typically watered weekly until the leaves were about one inch tall, then reduced watering. Notes on particular species: Calochortus bruneaunis. A cold-winter desert species. Stratify the seeds. After they sprout, water once a week until they are an inch high, and then water once a month. Calochortus eurycarpus. Grows in high mountain meadows (4800 feet / 1500m) in Oregon, in part shade or near low shrubs, among low grasses that help shade the base. Precipitation varies from 10 inches to 30 inches per year, much of it in the form of snow. Snowmelt probably triggers germination in the spring. The species gets some summer rain. Hardy to -30F (-35C). Blooms in late spring to early summer; it has a short growing season. Prefers cold winters and mild summers. In a cold climate, you could put seeds outdoors in a large pot with snow on top of it. In warmer climates, you'll need to stratify the seeds for 6-10 weeks. Calochortus macrocarpus. Grows in full sun among sagebrush in the high desert. Can survive very tough conditions including -30F winters and 110F (43C) summers and less than 15" (38 cm) of rain per year -- but will not grow in mild conditions. It wants dry cold: two months at near freezing temperatures, and not too much moisture. In a damp winter climate, grow it in pure sand for extra drainage. In coastal California, Hugh McDonald grew it in a mix of 50-50 peat and sand, but under a plastic cover 18" wide and six feet above the pot. This deflected direct rainfall off the pot, but allowed just enough to blow in from the side to keep the bulbs happy. Cold stratify the seeds. After they sprout water once a week until one inch high and then once every two weeks. Bulbs need to be chilled dry at the start of every winter; chill in the fall and then plant in January. Calochortus nuttallii. A wide range, growing from Nevada to the Dakotas. Seeds from the coldest areas may need stratification, but McDonald reported that it was relatively easy to grow in the San Francisco Bay area. Tolerates some summer water, but is also OK with summer drought. McDonald grew it under the western eaves of his house and watered it once every three weeks. In lowland California, seeds germinate best if kept in a cold part of the yard and gradually acclimated to the sun. Calochortus palmeri. Grows in seasonally wet meadows fed by snowmelt streams, at high altitudes. There are only about ten known stands, so take good care of this one. Although it grows in boggy meadows, in cultivation it is reportedly easy with standard Calochortus conditions, and needs only moderate water to thrive. Germination of seeds may be enhanced by moderate stratification. Supposedly does very well in wet moderate climates like the UK. Calochortus plummerae. Grows in rocky clay soil with the base partly shaded but the flower in full sun. Grows on 10-20 inches of rain a year. Does not need chilling. Calochortus striatus. McDonald didn't write cultivation tips on this one (at least not any I could find), but I grew it myself, so I'll comment. Although it is native to seasonally wet alkali flats in the southern California desert, this one is surprisingly adaptable in cultivation. I tried it in a variety of soils, but found that it was happy in a pot in either a mix of 50-50 vermiculite and sand, or 50-50 peat and sand. Both were supplemented with some complete bulb fertilizer. It did not require cold stratification, and grew reliably when watered once a week and (like most Calochortus) left totally dry in summer. Calochortus tolmiei. McDonald had trouble with this one. He said it likes a lot of water in winter, plus shade, and the high-altitude varieties need stratification. He said they also appear to tolerate some summer water and winter cold. Calochortus venustus. The high-altitude mountain forms may need cold stratification. Selection NS 04-82 is probably from the area in the central Sierra where C. venustus is found in a huge variety of colors, ranging from white to yellow to orange to red. Stratify these, and take good care of them. It is a pain in the neck to get to that location, and you won't often see seeds from there in the future. In the wild, this selection is under snow every winter and grows in spring, blooming around July 4 and then going dormant. Low-altitude selections will bloom about one to two months earlier. Calochortus weedii. Grows in southern California in areas that are close to desert, among shrubs that shade the base of the plant. Hardy to at least 10F (-12C). Does not need stratification, and is fairly adaptable to cultivation. (I've found this to be one of my most reliable Calochorti, tolerating a lot of neglect.)