On my trip through the backroads of East Texas this last weekend, the daffodils were on their way out but irises were coming into their own.  I love heirlooms like the cemetery white iris and saw them gathered around oak trees, scattered across forgotten lawns and even escaping into the wild. Their ethereal blooms never fail to amaze me. My own cemetery whites haven’t started blooming yet, but my Louisiana irises have.  They are at home in a low spot in my front yard, growing lavish and thick where most other plants might drown.

Sunday afternoon I got the chance to spend time with The Bulb Hunter – my co-author on HEIRLOOM BULBS, Chris Wiesinger – and his wife, Rebecca, AKA “Lil Bulb.”  They invited me to the Little Red Cabin for a spot of tea and a sing-along, Rebecca at the piano and Chris, my aunt and I harmonizing on familiar old hymns.  Isn’t it amazing how a song or a scent or a bloom bring up a memory long forgotten? What memories do these things cause to bubble up in you?

Monday my aunt and I stopped in on Blue Moon Gardens near Edom, Texas. LOVE that place. I’m afraid I chided them about not having any of my books in stock. Hopefully that will be remedied soon, but couldn’t stay mad among all that beauty. Also couldn’t pass up buying a few things, although finding a home for them is going to be a tall order!

Next week I’ll head west to speak at the annual Herbal Forum at Round Top at the incredible Festival Hill.  I’m looking forward to what’s been projected as a record year for wildflowers in the Texas Hill Country, the perfect place to see bluebonnets and friends, which means YOU get to see them, too!