Jim, I was referring to their flowering in general where the plants are known to grow successfully. I was not trying to explain why the plants fail on the East Coast or suggest that anyone knows why they fail on the East Coast, what I consider to be a completely different question, but probably very important to you. You are free, of course, to get all pejorative about me or some researchers being "furtive, elitist, selfish information hoarders" but the only ones who are successful are the ones who publish and it's not really their fault you don't read the journals where they publish their work. You will never find that one google hit or research paper that answers all your questions about Amaryllis flowering. No one can ever correct all the misinformation or answer all the questions they find on listservs like this one. That's not turning one's back. That's just reallity. I gave you my honest evaluation of the current situation as I see it from the perspective I described in the hope of not alienating people who could help. You can try to understand my message or not, but I don't see any point in reading malice into it. Nathan At 01:26 PM 6/14/2015, you wrote: >Nathan, maybe the answer isn't out there after >all. We've been trying, without dependably >repeatable success,  to grow Amaryllis >belladonna here on the East Coast for over two >hundred years. I would think that if someone had > hit on the answer, it would have spread like >wildfire and be readily found in the >literature.The bulbs are commonly sold in local >garden centers yearly: by now, thousands of them >must have been planted in our gardens. So if >there are floral biologists out there who know >the answers but do not deign to answer these >questions, then I say shame on them! Although >until proven wrong, I'll prefer to believe that >they don't really know the answers (rather than >believing that they are the furtive, elitist, >selfish information hoarders you describe). What >kind of person who, on becoming aware of a >situation where they might be able to contribute >to the betterment of things, turns their back >and walks away? I've been participating in this >on line group since 2004, and one of the things >which keeps me here is the freedom with which >good information is unstintingly >exchanged. And really Nathan, if you are not >trying to offend anyone, why does your >evaluation of the level of sophistication of the >current discussion attempt to utilize such >disparaging comparisons (re-inventing the wheel? >unsophisticated taste in planting?) You've >succeeded in making your pals in the world of >floral biology sound like haughty snobs >unwilling to stoop to our level.  I think you >owe them an apology. Jim McKenneyMontgomery >County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where I >guess it's time to get out and buy some pink >flamingos: they'll be lovely next to the >Amaryllis belladonna if it ever blooms.Â