[jshields]

William,
I would guess it is a combination of high humidity and high night-time temperatures that is hard on the summer-rainfall South African plants. They expect cool nights. In our climate, I think we have to keep them as dry as possible in winter and not too warm. My greenhouse for winter-rainfall bulbs from South Africa gets down close to freezing (to 33 - 35 F at times) on cold nights in winter.

The few Brunsvigia I have kept alive and growing are winter-rainfall plants that live in the cool greenhouse summer and winter -- dormant in summer, bone dry and hot. Boophane disticha from Gauteng (a summer rainfall area) did not do well here as a summer-growing bulbs. It died after 2 or 3 years.

Jim Shields
Westfield, Indiana