Last month I offered "grab bags" of small bulbs that I had lifted from an overgrown raised bed. One of the recipients, Sylvia Sykora, has just written to me asking about a couple she received, which have just flowered. It's clear what she has, and it made me realize that some of the bulbs I had lifted among masses of small Narcissus species were not the N. cantabricus, N. bulbocodium, and N. romieuxii that had taken over so much of the area. The bulbs of some little amaryllids are hard to distinguish when dormant, a point to remember if you ever wish to share Galanthus and Sternbergia with friends living, shall we say, rather far away. Oops, I gave away the farm! From Sylvia's description, the grab bags included bulbs of Sternbergia greuteriana, a small, rapidly increasing species. Those in the area in question were raised from wild-collected seed. I still have plenty, growing in the open garden in a little raised bed. If you got it, give it good drainage but don't worry about summer water; mine catch irrigation weekly in summer. It's hardy to at least 20 degrees F. Around this time of year, the little goblet-shaped flowers of bright yellow appear, along with the lax, dark green leaves that persist through winter. In the sandy, slightly raised place it grows here, it seems to spread a bit horizontally. Another that has flowered for her sounds like Narcissus cavanillesii (syn. Tapeinanthus), a strange one without a corona (cup) that flowers in fall. It won't show up anywhere else, as I had only one, and thank goodness it got to California, where it will be happier than in Oregon. Hope all the recipients will have fun with their little bulbs! Jane McGary, Portland, Oregon, USA _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> PBS Forum https://…