I have successfully made it to Houston, with the trailer and all. In case any body was wondering, the toll for a truck and trailer on Beltway 8 is $3, and if you stay at a hotel in the Galleria area for a wedding, it's best to find a place to park the trailer because the valet guys won't touch it.

Along the way down, there were many bulbs blooming in run down home sites. One of my favorite sites of bulbs, is this patch of jonquils that sits below a billboard in Buffalo, Texas. The jonquils weren't quite in full bloom yet. Since the jonquils set so many seeds, there are populations of different types of species floating around the South, and this grouping always blooms a little later than others.

In College Station, one avid gardener was employing a nice technique to enjoy Narcissus tazetta 'Grand Primo' blooms. After the blooms are over, most of the foliage stays hidden behind the Ilex vomitoria 'nana' hedge. Later in the spring, the lantana that has been trimmed down for the winter will grow up and cover the yellowing foliage.Along the trip down here, I passed one of my favorite trees and one of only three trees that I know of in the state that is host to a hanging moss variety of Usneoides. Spanish moss is Tillandsia usneoides, a common variety in coastal areas, but this true Usneoides seems to do well much farther north.Once in Houston, I visited with Heidi Sheesley of Treesearch Farms. She grows Crinum asiaticum bulbs at the farm, and she took my picture next to the specimens she has growing by her lake. This species of Crinum really becomes a small tree. Heidi has some beautiful flowering magnolias in bloom at the moment and is one of the best sources of knowledge and product in the Houston area. She also had some beautiful snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum) blooming at her place.After a long day of battling the roads in Houston, I finally made it to the hotel. From my room, I took a picture of the traffic I was glad to not be in.