Our season is coming to a close for some of our favorite bloomers. I saw a Zephyranthes candida last week but have a feeling that will be one of the last ones I see. It was in Beaumont with a reporter from the Beaumont Enterprise when we discovered it. I did not realize the Beaumont Enterprise was owned by the Hearst Corporation. When I was a kid we would go to Hearst Castle in California along the coast...it was really spectacular.

I saw some other interesting things last week, like this crinum that was growing in a puddle of water. There is no doubt in my mind that this crinum will live and continue to be extremely healthy. Dr. Bill Welch and others nurseries are beginning to propagate, promote, and sell the 'Peggy Martin' Rose, a rose that survived in New Orleans after being under 20 foot of sea water for two weeks. The only other thing that survived in the garden was a crinum and as Dr. Welch has coined the phrase that no crinum has ever died. We are working on a selection for you this spring.

The spider lily (Lycoris radiata) show was amazing this year in some area and poor in others (like ours). Oxbloods did really well with colors coming into their full dark, oxblood red hues. Ben took a nice photo on the far left showing the differences between a hardy amaryllis and an oxblood. We are going to miss these bloomers, but are looking forward to the Narcissus tazettas and other blooms that are coming.

The whole crew is really working hard right now. Ben has also been doing speaking engagements and Brad is not only holding the fort down, he's reinforcing it with all sorts of good things. I had to get away for awhile with family and focus on some business matters...what better place to do that then fishing in Idaho. Couldn't really cast too well yesterday because the line kept freezing to the pole, but did manage to pull this 30 plus inch brown trout out. What kind of bulbs would grow in Idaho? If we did farm up here, I wonder (for equipment) if there might be any potato farmers in the region? (I'm joking)

I saw this yard being watered last week. We've had quite a bit of rain in Texas and it has made for some pretty skies.















Pumpkins make a nice addition to any setting. This is a picture of Cynthia Mueller at Dr. Welch's cottage near Burton.

Had a brown snake wonder on to the road at the farm. I put him in my personal gardening plot to help manage my pests.

Today I feel better because I did NOT miss my interview on the Martha Stewart Radio Program, "Home Grown." It went really well, and one of the things we mentioned, is a good place to plant bulbs. Some of the best bulb displays are those that are around the base of deciduous trees. In particular, we mentioned red spider lilies (Lycoris radiata). Here is a nice display from a home in Louisiana.

Rain, rain, rain...DON'T go away. We are recharging here in Texas after a terrible drought. Yes the bulbs will be fine, but from a mental health standpoint, I don't think we could have taken much more.

The Houston Bulb and Plant Mart was a great success and Ben enjoyed the first annual "In the Garden" down in Fort Bend County. We all met up in Houston, exhausted but happy to be together for awhile. We are all back at work right now, busier than ever and not slowing down. We are unfortunately sold out of some of our favorite bulbs, like the Byzantine gladiolus and the campernelle. I do encourage many of our first time bulb buyers to still try the 'Grand Primos' (Narcissus tazetta 'Grand Primo')and snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum). Attached is a picture of Grand Primos that have contended with falling limbs, droughts, and mowers, yet still come up year after year--no fertilizers, no soil amendments, etc. The same would go for the snowflakes. They are just all around tough.

I am in Houston again today and tomorrow, not sure of where I will be the next day. On one hand it really bothers me not to know where I will be and what I will be doing from day to day. On the other hand, such a flexible schedule allows for last minute dinner plans and wonderful stays at guest houses tucked back behind some of the most beautiful homes in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc. I should start taking pictures and writing about the guest houses also. They really add such a welcoming dynamic to any home and allow a vagabond like me to meet wonderful people.

I am in Houston now. Very busy but have fun stories from muscadines to Muscari. Soon...

We had some help from Atlanta fly in with us and help us out these past few days. We had a nice night in McKinney at the Londoner and again hit it hard the next day (which was yesterday). Brad and I had a meeting in Dallas until 9PM or so. After that, Brad went East and I went West. I only made it to Eastling before I absolutely had to pull over and get a room at the Motel 8. After speaking to the Texas A&M Club in Midland today, my host, David Baker, showed me around some of the old homes. I was delighted to see Oxbloods and Crinums in the homes.

It was a busy day on the phone, on the computer, and on the road. With everything so packed into our days, we are pretty tired by the end. I found a Best Western on I-20 for the evening where I have access to wireless internet (i.e. I can blog) and can wash my clothes. The laundry room closed at 9 though and my clothes weren't completely dried. Oh well, we just have to make do sometimes. Off to Alabama tomorrow to speak at Petals from the Past. Can't wait to see Jason and Shelley again.

Below are some fun pictures. One is a photo of Oxbloods blooming on empty commercial lot with an Exxon sign in the background. Just down the road from this site, if you went walking back in the woods you would see Oxbloods and Spiders blooming around the trees and tall brush next to this abandoned home. Also shown are some pics of the yellow fall blooming Sternbergia lutea. In Houston I took this picture (top left) of these beautiful golden Lycoris. Another neat plant was this pink Oxblood Lily.