I don't know what they were thinking, but I'd imagine that it was a bit stressful having their world turned inside out and seeing the sun for the first time (or at least the real world and not some dungeon in the bottom of a filter). It will be interesting to see if they survive into the spring, though. I've had 4 fry survive this year - one in the pond, one in the lotus tub (which is fed a constant supply of water via a 1/2" line in the falls - so that guy had to get sucked up by the pump, navigate through the filter, and find his way into that 1/2" line to get into the tub - he's currently inside in an aquarium), and these two in the bottom of the filter - for a total count of approx. 58 goldfish. Needless to say I'm gonna put a good amount up for adoption come springtime since it's fairly overpopulated as it is. Surprisingly I didn't have any water quality or algae problems at all last year.

Chaz - The Ploidy issue has me confused, as well... I just pollinate and hope for the best! Sometimes I get lucky, and sometimes I don't... and sometimes I think I got lucky, and then the pods abort! I've been slowly making lists of which varieties are Diploid and which are Tetraploid (or is it Triploid?), but I admit that I haven't done my research on that part of Hippi reproduction yet. Most of my successful pollinations have been selfs, and I've found that the cybister varieties are the more difficult ones to get seed pods from. This is something I plan on studying more closely when I get the time... but for now, I'm happy to have gotten a lot of my hybrids to set seeds, and even more happy that those seeds are turning out to be viable! I had planned on keeping very detailed notes and information right from the start, but it sort of got away from me during the course of enjoying so many new bulbs and their flowers! And so, I have promised myself that next fall I will begin a strict regimen of record keeping! I found a lot of helpful information in past posts regarding pollination and Ploidy, but haven't had the time or inclination to read it all and write down notes. I've just been in such awe of all these wonderful blooms, and I've been busy caring for them and and caring for my dogs and doing all the other things day to day life demands... ok, I got lazy! But I promise that next fall I shall begin professional record keeping so that I have good notes to share!

I totally know what your mean ArborBluffGirl. I knew they were ephemeral but when one is faced with tons of pots and cell packs full of dirt it is hard to have enough faith to keep taking care of them. Luckily I never throw anything away *grin*. Good information is so important. I would have had way better results last year if I had known things like which are slow growing or tiny, if ephemerals die down the first year (as they do not flower), etc. The New England Wildflower Society uses the term "double dormancy" to refer to seeds that need two cold periods (with a warm period in-between). Some of these, such as trillium, do send out roots after the first cold period. Then they send out shoots the second. The Dodecatheon germinated well for me after a typical wildflower stratification, but they did not send out anything but one leaf the first year. I will post the link to the NEWS germination codes. It is a great reference guide to the germination needs of native plants. Just click the link to index of names on the top and match the codes with the directions for each species. PAX Laurett Here is a link that might be useful: NEWS germination codes

Oh goodness yes! I was always taught to make the stem cut at a slant on the FRONT of the stem. That way the babies would come up in front of the leaf. Well, that doesn't always happen. First,,,I always make my cut in the front. AND I have two leaves right now that have babies in the back!!!!! Go figure. It is a little harder to separate, but not impossible. Your babies will be fine. Just let them grow and when they are large enough treat them like any other babies! Good Luck!!!! Rosie