I'm glad Jim Waddick mentioned Hippeastrum x johnsonii as one of the hardiest garden amaryllises. Scott Ogden (Garden Bulbs for the South) lists this as an old (ca. 1810) hybrid of H reginae and H. vittatum. Thad Howard (Bulbs for Warm Climates) said he was "amazed to find H. vittatum growing in sandy woodlands (in Brazil) at a depth of 6-8 inches." I used to live in Augusta, Georgia, and H. x johnsonii grew very well there. The large Hippeastrum hybrids also did well. This doesn't surprise me since the ground rarely froze during the winter, and when it did, I doubt that frost penetrated deeper than an inch. Augusta receives rain year round, so I don't think H. x johnsonii and other Hippeastrum hybrids require a dry dormancy -- a dry dormancy may actually be harmful. I've seen H. x johnsonii bulbs and seed offered on Ebay; the bulbs seemed overpriced to me. In zone 7 Oregon, it would be an interesting experiment to plant some inexpensive Hippeastrum hybrids deeply (say, in a 10 inch hole) and see how they survive. Eugene Zielinski Prescott Valley, AZ USA > [Original Message] > From: The Silent Seed <tylus.seklos@gmail.com> > To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> > Date: 2/23/2016 8:01:01 PM > Subject: Re: [pbs] Hippeastrum cold hardiness > > So how deep are you guys planting them in the colder zones (5-6?) > > > On Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 9:54 PM, Travis O <enoster@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > Thank you, Lee, and everyone else. I'm technically in USDA zone 7b, we > > experience the occasional dip to -12c, often without snow cover, and it is > > always wet in Winter. Deciduous species would probably fare better, I > > assume. > > > > I'd love to try some of the hardy species should anyone have seed/offsets > > to trade. > > > > Travis Owen > > Rogue River, OR > > > > http://www.amateuranthecologist.com/ > > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/ > > > > _______________________________________________