In reply to Peter Taggart's comment on hardiness in the western North American Themidaceae, the hardiest species are probably Triteleia hyacinthina and T. grandiflora, which have the most northern ranges. Some of the others get up to quite high elevations but would be under snow in winter and thus protected from freezing. T. hyacinthina is a large, showy white to pale lavender one that self-spows freely in this area. T. grandiflora (syn. Brodiaea howellii) has been a difficult subject for me, probably because it doesn't get a dry enough winter in this area. Others likely to be more cold-hardy are Brodiaea elegans, a fairly short grower with brilliant violet flowers; Dichelostemma capitatum (which Peter mentioned, but it should do better than he found; see Mary Sue;s comments on hardiness and ranges), an early bloomer of grasslands and rapid increaser; D. congestum. I also grew Triteleia bridgesii, Brodiaea terrestris, Bloomeria crocea, and Triteleia peduncularis in my former garden (they're still there), even though they are not generally regarded as hardy to the temperatures that occur there, where it gets into the single digits Fahrenheit about once every ten years, and to about 12 F every four years. Mary Sue discussed Triteleia crocea. It is very confusing, because there is also Bloomeria crocea, and they are quite different entities. The Triteleia has a higher-elevation, more northerly distribution and is a smaller plant. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA you wrote: >The cormlets can be so prolific that sorting them out is not worthwhile >just plant and they can get on with it. > >The most tender in my experiance is Dichelostemma voubile and D capitata >with temperature limits of around 5 F when planted deep in sand, a large >pot of B crocea was serverly damaged at these temperatures or slightly >lower (0F), (wet and out of doors) and I had only one flower stem last year >as a result, -the pot was not fully plunged. >Peter (UK)