Jim McKenney asked >Are any of you growing Oxalis adenophylla successfully as a garden plant? >The other day i was reading an early twentieth century source in >which comments from the Tubergen company about the culture of this >plant were given: keep it dry during the winter or dig it and store it. Oxalis adenophylla in nature, in the southern Andes, grows in scree situations where it has some winter snow cover. I usually have seen it in low-lying areas such as near the bottom of a slope, where the snow probably lies a little later and there is more moisture in spring. It dries out during the summer to some extent, but tolerates some summer moisture. I have always grown it outdoors in western Oregon in sites that are raised and well drained but not otherwise specially prepared, such as between the stones of a dry-laid retaining wall. I never lifted them. There would seem to be no reason to lift and store it in winter, and because of the nature of the storage organ (I'm not sure whether it is considered a rhizome or a caudex), this would seem more likely to harm it. Dutch growers often handle "bulbs" very differently from what the gardener is prepared to do, since they have specialized facilities for storing dormant plants. Its failure in Jim's Atlantic coastal garden could result from various causes, including purchased stock in poor condition, poor drainage, and (especially) summer heat. He could try putting it in a raised bed with a deep stone (not limestone) mulch to help keep its root run cool. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA