This is yesterday's blog.

Yesterday started off in Houston with a big rubber duck greeting me after my breakfast. I was scared.

I visited some existing retail garden center customers and began looking showing my bulbs to new customers. One particular new stop for me had a delightful staff and nice facilities—the Nelson Water Gardens in Katy. They had not heard of The Southern Bulb Company, were not sure if bulbs would do well in Houston, and have never carried bulbs. I hope to change that! I you are in Katy maybe stop by and let them know you'd like to have the bulbs a little closer to home. After a short visit with Peter (a nice and helpful manager), I left some materials and departed for my next stops.

Everyone in Houston was back at work, and it showed on the roads as I headed towards The Heights area just north of downtown. This area is a blend of some of Houston’s earliest homes in one of its first neighborhoods. It has a mix of the original architecture and modern designs dotted here and there.

Tiles originally used to mark street names and numbers (so much more attractive than paint) can still be seen on the curbs.

Buchanan’s Native Plants is right in the heart of the district and is a wonderful customer of ours. There is always plenty of the well educated staff to be found and they are diligent and friendly in helping anyone who walks in. I was there as they were in the process of cleaning up from the heavy rains the day before, and even after the rain the place still looked great.

After a few more stops, I finished at my last location of the day, The Arbor Gate.

Visiting The Arbor Gate is like coming home. Bev, the owner, put me up in a hotel room the night before the tropical storm. They have wholeheartedly supported Ann Swan’s artwork and pottery and have done well with it. The numerous, friendly staff makes it a point to know their products, the stories behind those products, and to pass those stories on to the customer.

Grandchildren were roaming around the grounds for the summer and were pulling some great surprises out from the pond!

I grew up 10 miles east of their location in Tomball and had flashbacks to my days running around the pine trees and pools of water catching creatures. However, I know I never was able to catch a frog this large.

In their gardens they still had a parrot gladiolus blooming (Gladiolus dalenii and formerly G. natalensis). In the back, they have a spot where they have planted samples of most of our bulbs and the pink rain lilies (Zephyranthes labufarosea) were really putting on a show with many, many more blooms to come.

Be looking for our bulbs there this fall.

The Arbor Gate is on the northwest side of Houston, so after this visit I was able to quickly slip away back to the cottage in Washington County that I was at earlier this week. There is no internet here, which is nice.

Last night I slept with the doors open. A nice draft was created, and with the help of a fan I was once again reminded that we really don’t NEED air conditioning.

Now I am off to Moosefeathers Nursery in Brenham to see my old friends Dusty and Missy! After that, I leave for Austin and continue to spread the word.