H.papilio as well as the particularly closely related H.aulicum (and H.aulicum v.robustum respectively) do neither require chilling nor do they profit at all from chilling - this is my experience. Mature bulbs of H.papilio put forth a bunch of upto 12 (!) leaves in autumn (here, in Germany in Sept/Oct) IF the plants are kept rather cold, as is the case if you do not provide additional heating preferably from below (heating body under the windosill) then the scapes will emerge but rather randomly and delayed, when the new year begins. However, if you provide excellent conditions, when the leaf fan is poking out, that this particularly includes high substrates temperatures ~ 26ðC are thankfully appreciated ~ then you will obtain 1 or 2 scapes in Nov/Dec, out of mature bulbs well understood.

Well my EverGreen is just so huge, for a 'miniature', I was being funny, saying it should put out 5 flower stalks. I know it wont. I bought it when it was on sale I guess. The sale must be over, and they are back to the regular price. I THINK i bought it on 'Cyber Monday'...so maybe it was a 1 day sale. Guess i got lucky. i will stay with the one bulb,and wait for bulblets to appear for free! I kind of thought i did the right thing with my big clump of my Papilios. I have or will have 3 new blooming size and forced bulbs of Papilio as soon as my replacement arrives,and 2 others I bought. From 2 other sellers. I am hoping one will be the 4 bloom variety. So my big clump is in a nice big clay pot,14in I think,out of a 10in, as long as our cold spells hold off for a few more weeks, last year we got hit with 3 days of 30's here in Ft.Laud. on Dec 12-15th, which was very unusual,...we usually get our 3 days of cold weather in January. Big deal. So..if I get a few weeks of warm weather to wake the bulbs up,and get the clump to grow into its new soil some, then i will be set. I can/will bring them all in the house if it hits below 50,to keep them growing and alive.

Hi Aveo, As for your papilio with the split down the side, I know exactly what you mean and I have had MANY bulbs like that and not only bulbs that I have purchased, sometimes they grow like that after a summer in the sun (looks like the inside grew so fast it split the outer layers) nothing to worry about on that score. That happens frequently. As for the squashed blossom that is not acceptable. Just a little bit of ingenuity and the bud could have been protected. I too have had that happen. Two years ago I ordered 2 mini bulbs from a popular Ebay dealer and the buds had grown up about 2 inches and what did he do? He cut the buds in half!! I was livid!! He gave me an extra bulb and said that's the way they came to him. Regardless of whether or not they came to him that way, he never should have sent them with the buds cut!! One of those bulbs ended up being virused and the next summer I threw it away. The other was a Joker and the poor thing is still alive and only about the size of a small walnut..after nearly 3 years!! and of course it has never bloomed.. OK back to your problem. If I were you and if the bulb is as big as you say it is, I would most likely keep it and hope for another scape. The split not being an issue, I would chalk it up to experience, but would let them know that I was displeased. Maybe you could tell him you belong to a forum and say you might post his name to warn others. (only if you're in a really bad mood);-) As for your Green Dragon, when my bulb arrived it was very small,(it is a small bulb I think) and as it was a gift from someone, I made the best of it. It bloomed the flowers that you saw in my pictures on 2 very short scapes. It had at least 4 flowers on each scape, but only a couple came out, the rest were in distress. I just went to find my Green Dragon currently and it is now 2" in diameter and looking very good..still small but growing 3 nice clean green leaves. I don't expect it to bloom for me again for some time, but it is healthy and it will recover. If your bulb was supposed to be 32cm and it's only 16cm then you certainly have something to complain about. And yes, I would say that in this case they are ripping you off. $25 sounds a bit much for a bulb that small plus postage?? In the case of the damaged papilio bud, it was carelessness but I wouldn't say they were trying to fleece you. Maybe they can make a large adjustment concerning the Green Dragon and my guess is that it will bloom, but the flowers will be stressed. Your best chance for enjoying your green flowers will most likely be your Evergreen. Maybe someone else has a large Green Dragon, I can't accurately tell you if in fact they are supposed to be a small bulb, but mine was and I guess yours is too. Hope I've been able to help you and let us know how you make out..and you have got to learn how to post pictures..:-) Donna

The second scape... together with the two fully mature flowers of the first scape, one floret self-pollinated, the other pollinated from "PapDon2". Btw, self pollination of one floret of the first-blooming sibling was not successful, which was to be expected in a DIPloid, but the ovary of the other, after pollination from "Charisma" (TET) is swelling'! ------------------------------------------------------------ Here