Have the peas rendered a verdict re trellis material? My sugar-snaps are just about big enough to start twining up some old yard fencing material, the kind with the little wire scallops on top. But mine were planted a month late by the calendar (and thereby missed being snowed upon). It may be too hot for them when they get to bearing size.

I think the prettiest display of "something for the pants to climb on" that I've seen was at an old house tour. It was a small yard, and the owners had installed a chainlink gate -- no fence, just two posts and a gate, it was obviously not intended to be used -- in the middle of it and planted sweat peas on either side. It was one of those gates with the galvanized scrollwork at the top. Of course everything was new that season, so I don't know how prettily it would have aged. But it did make a lovely display when it was all open for view. Also made a nice division from the sit-on-the-yard furniture area and the cluster of flowerbeds.

With the wildflowers so prolific this year, we've taken some pictures. I found some red blubonnets near our house and discovered that there are several color variations--blue, lavender, white, pink, red, and maroon. A&M helped come up with red and maroon (no orange though for you UT alums). Anyways, this discovery has prompted me to buy a book on wildflowers. Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilvsgi; it is color coded so you can look for a flower by its color. I want to a nice drive this weekend to look at flowers and let my husband get his tripod out.

I'm annoyed with A&M, actually. Bluebonnets should be BLUE. Not white, not red, not maroon. (I snip off the heads of the faded-denim blue ones, but not the heads of a sport I found with a very splashy dark blue and white combination--the white part bigger than usual, but the blue very blue.)

I have both the first and second editions of Ajilvsgi's book--gorgeous photographs. You might also want to pick up the Peterson Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers (more species than hers has).

But yeah, it's a really good year for them.

My local bookstore was sparse on books about wildflowers. I don't think they had the Peterson's guides and I ended up buying the book online which made me leery but the readers reviews turned out to be accurate.

Have you seen any Indian paintbrushes out where you live? I haven't seen any yet.