I tried once....hardiness was never an issue with healthy leaves every year. They were very shy to flower however with 2-3 blossoms in the 5 years I gave the small clump. No matter how dry I believe my garden is, I still think summer moisture was probably the biggest factor.

Cyclamen purpurascens [hardy cyclamen] cornlets/bulblets, crocus [maybe sativus would be great], hyacint, amaryllis, hellebore check my trade list

All I know is that the light purple ones are the type used for the saffron. I had originally bought some and was shipped a variety that had no aroma or taste when I picked the stamens. The crocus blossoms I originally had, were very hardy and bloomed in fall with multiple blooms, which is not common to the Sativus strain. I contacted the company (White Flower Fram) I bought them from and was told they had a mixup. The following fall, I was shipped another batch and these started to show green shoots the following spring, then the rabbits, or other rodents got hold of the greens and chewed them all to the soil level. Since then, I have not seen a single crocus emerge in the planted area and must assume that my $30 plantings were destroyed. I don't plan to try again, due to the way these grew for me, unless I build some kind of metal screened cage that covers the whole crocus bed and protects it from any chewing animal. A couple of choices below, but most are sold out now, and will not come back into stock until the fall when they start shipping again. http://www.bloomingbulb.com/XQ/ASP/ProductKey.492/bulbs.Saffron%20Crocus/flower.Sativus/QX/cartProductDetail.htm White Flower Farm in CT carries them in the fall too. Bulb Mart in Ohio is selling them in eBay right now too.. I have seen a price there of $8.99 for 10 bulbs. They show a dark purple/blue color in their photo, and I have even seen a few white ones. But in any event, the Sativus is the strain you want. Good luck.. Here is a link that might be useful: Blooming Bulb

Moni, I am glad you shared it here so everyone would know you are back home! Good luck with the house hunting. It's too bad you cannot get your old house back, but maybe you can find a similar house in your old neighborhood. I know that whatever house you find, you'll make it your home, indoors and out, just like you did with your last home. I am trying to look at this in the most positive way, even tbough your Florida adventure didn't pan out as planned/anticipated. I bet your daughter here is thrilled to have you back, and you're a lot closer, geographically, to your darling grandchildren now that you are here in OK than you were when you were in Florida. I'm glad you're back here and ready for more adventures. I wouldn't expect you to live your life in any other way! Somehow, in my heart, I knew you were pedaling somewhere. You wouldn't be Moni if you weren't pedaling. Dawn