Jim In their natural habitat, summer temperatures can be as much as 50C (122F) with winter temperatures averaging a low of about 10C (50F). Average annual rainfall is about 280mm or 11.1 inches and is distributed evenly throughout most months of the year although in summer, it will all fall in a short single burst and mostly run straight off with next to no infiltration into the soil. The cooler months sees more drizzle type rain which better penetrates the soil. The areas would NEVER see snow! The desert areas in which they grow have just experienced last week one of the heaviest rainfalls in years so it will be interesting to see the result of this in a week or two. Of course the rains bring hazards such as flooding and damage to roads so the area may be inaccessible for some time and the flowering may go unseen! Because of the extreme heat, the bulbs have developed contractile roots which actually pull the bulb deep within the heavy compacted soils. The base of the tennis ball size bulbs sit approximately 450mm (18 inch) below the surface with an extraordinarily long neck protruding to just below surface level when dormant. Although I have grown my bulbs since 2010 (from seed), if success is measured in achieving flowering, then I have failed! It is understood it can take 20 years or more from seed to flowering and although I am growing mine in "better" conditions than in the wild and perhaps I will get flowering sooner than that, I need to be very mindful of not pampering them with too much moisture because, given their natural habitat, they would be very sensitive to excess moisture. Bruce Schroder, Melbourne, Australia _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>