@Bob, Couldn't agree more. Aside from the thought that uncultivated bulb species may require symbiosis or other associations to survive, I have a keen interest in the landscape in front of the office at my work. It is compacted, and grey, both signs of biologically dead soil. There are some gigantic mushrooms that appear in Autumn in one section, but that may only mean that it is dominated by a single fungi, not a thriving soil ecosystem. I have been slowly adding plants (including some bulbs) and fixing the irrigation system, hopefully to the benefit of pollinators and soil flora alike. There is a chance that there were some bacterial/fungal/protozoan/etc. hitchhikers in the soil the plants were planted with, so there is hope that I've inadvertently introduced some more diversity into the industrial landscape that is my workplace (a factory). Good information about the phosphorus, thanks! I'll add that soil biodiversity is better with a pH of 7 or higher, as that is what it takes for bacteria to flourish. Bacteria are at the base of the food web, eaten by nearly every other soil-dwelling microorganism, so they are kind of important. Travis Owen Rogue River, OR http://www.amateuranthecologist.com/ http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/