On 1/1/2016 12:11 PM, Leo Martin wrote: > I don't know whether the one rain soaking was > responsible for some surviving, or the higher dormancy temperatures. > In general, I don't think it's a good idea to allow first-year seedling bulbs to dry out completely during their dormant period. I put those that grow in areas with some summer moisture (either precipitation or in habitats that may be a little moister in the dry season) in my shaded patio and sprinkle them when I water the container plants there. Those from really arid dormant seasons are kept in a shed, in the shade, covered with upturned flats, and just sprinkled a bit every few weeks -- not enough to soak the medium, just to maintain some humidity (atmospheric humidity is low here in summer). Although many bulbous plants make copious quantities of seed, many of those seeds never make it to the mature plant stage, and I suspect that germinating in excessively exposed positions may be one reason they fail. You can see that in arid habitats, plants that disperse their seed rather widely often mature close to rocks, where the seeds are caught, buried in other debris, and afforded a little more soil moisture. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA