Thanks so much for responding, Cynthia. Almost forty years ago I was in the Army and stationed in Texas for about a year. I fell in love with the place. I'll never forget the first time I saw Rosa banksiae in full bloom in Texas: I stood there wondering what kind of Clematis it was! You mentioned "Jackson vine (a form of Smilax greenbriar used for old-fashioned Southern floral arrangements". This is Smilax smallii, right? Believe it or not, I have a huge plant of Smilax smallii on the south side of the house here in Maryland. Of the plants in the garden, it's one of which I'm very proud. Each year it puts up sprouts twenty or more feet long; it's a stunning evergreen. I collect Smilax and have several other species, too. Unfortunately, when I was younger I would not have looked twice at something like French Roman hyacinths. Now I would very much like to have some. I don't recall ever having seen French Roman hyacinths sold locally. I've known the name all my gardening life, but until recently I never realized how they were different from typical garden hyacinths. They are not supposed to be as hardy as typical garden hyacinths, and I've never seen them in local gardens. Whatever it is that I have is hardy. I'll try to post a photo on the wiki later when it blooms. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@starpower.net Montgomery County, Maryland zone 7