I did the craziest thing. I subscribed to the newsletter for Hill Country Water Gardens! It arrived in my inbox on Thursday evening and after scanning it’s contents, I knew I’d be headed that way first thing Friday morning all for the love of ONE plant.

I don’t drive much anymore and it’s not because I can’t, but I don’t enjoy being among other drivers. Living 20 miles northwest of Austin, TX, the traffic is horrendous. Steve, my trusted metal man (Ford F150) has accumulated almost 200,000 miles , so I have driven, but it’s become less. I’d be perfectly happy living within walking distance of everything I need, but for now, Instacart and FedEx are my friends.

My actual friends think I’m more of a plant guru than I really am and give me more credit than deserved. The secret to gardening, like most things in life, is about finding what you love. My interest in plants has evolved over the years from annuals, that need replacing each Spring, to perennials, which will return the following year. Perennials take a year-round watchful eye and trusting your gut more than the weather forecast.

The newsletter from my happy place revealed they had the Siam Curcuma Tulip back in stock and I squealed with excitement. This is one of my favorite flowers and I’ve written about my love for them here. I’ve been nurturing my Curcuma from last year, since April of this year and it has plenty of dark green foliage, but hasn’t bloomed. I told someone recently, “I can’t make a flower bloom, but trust me…I’ve tried.”

Friday morning I hopped in my truck and drove all the way across town to Hill Country Water Gardens. I was greeted by my favorite person who works there and we gave one another a very loud greeting with hugs, squeals and laughter. She knows there’s usually a reason when I show up, so I told her, “I’m here for the Curcuma”. We walked over to the shaded area where they are normally on display and the table was full!

In that moment, so was my heart. I picked one out, paid for it and brought it home while smiling to myself. I won’t drive that far to the grocery store and have most of my groceries delivered, but there was no hesitation in driving across town for the love of one flower.

Feature photo is a card by Sacred Bee.