Well... Hippeastrum bulbs are native to tropical/warm areas, after all... Central and South America... I'm sure someone could explain it all much better than I, and with scientific fact to back up theory... but it seems that cool temperatures are necessary to set buds inside the bulb... in lieu of those cool temperatures, perhaps disturbing the roots to some extent gives the bulbs a signal that they should bloom. I'm not entirely sure if that's what happens... make note of your night time temperatures when you moved your bulbs... 60F is cool enough to have the bulbs set buds, I believe. I'm sure Sir Hans could explain it much better than I...

Interesting! The pictures I've got of julias shows them mostly black with some yellow and burgundy on them, not as brown as yours are. But then gulf frit cats that overwinter turn more brown than orange, so I imagine it's the cold weather that's done it. I guess that's some type of passionvine they're eating? Anyway, congrats! I love the way the adults look, like slices of an orange. Sherry

WOW! What a find, Sherry! Gave me goosebumps to see this... Okay, are you ready for a funny one? Speaking of PVS...I have been busy today counting See's Candy fundraising orders (yeah, I'm PTA fundraising VP and chair...like I need another job!) and I'd taken a break to go stretch for a bit as I'd hurt my back on Thursday carrying the !#$^ box of money & fundraising stuff. I came back to the kitchen area to find a PIPEVINE SWALLOWTAIL fluttering about! I almost fell over! I'm sure you're thinking, "Oh boy, another tdogmom escapee!" Nah, I had been cleaning out some of the freeloading swallowtail habitats last weekend and didn't put all of the pupae back in so it was definitely my own fault. Hey, I didn't expect any of them to eclose now! tee-hee! It was a lovely young boy which I promptly got hold of and carried outdoors. He flew off to the Hibiscus and who knows where he is off to now. Ask me, "So, did you get the other pupae back where they are safe, CalSherry?" HA! Nope, I had to get back to the ol' money counting...

Tox, it's difficult to grow in ALL organic matter (it's the rule of thumb here) because it won't stay that way. When you transplant or pull, you mix things up (unless the OM is three feet thick, that is). Also, when growing larger plants with any sort of hefty roots, they can still reach into the mineral layers. Thirdly the colloidal and humic leachates from the breakdown of the OM layer seep down into the minerals and that's the important stage. You can't keep them apart with a crowbar. You are right on about shrinkage and drainage. My beds have dropped perhaps 4 inches over the last six months. No insult intended to the mighty power of bugs and worms, but piles of sawdust sitting in the woods for years aren't exactly good things for anything but fungi. That stuff (as is) is toxic and needs a majority of other materials desperately.