Flowering Quince often marks the site of old homesites in North Texas.
Spring time has come to north Texas. Every morning the robins, mockingbirds, and other native song birds awaken us with their lovely and lively tunes. Everywhere daffodils and forsythia are bursting with bright yellow blossoms. The dull gray of winter is slowly leaving us.
A drive through rural sections of north and east Texas reveals places where daffodils, forsythia, Bridal Wreath (spiraea), and flowering quince appear to grow wild. In fact, they almost are. When pioneers left their old homes, some one would give a cutting, seeds, or bulbs to the woman in order to brighten her new home. These treasured gifts were carefully carried to the new home, lovingly planted in the spring, and often given to others as a pass-along plant. When the family moved on, the wife took cuttings, seeds, or bulbs along to remember the old home.
Long after the wife was gone the plants continue to brighten the rural Texas landscape before grass and trees turn green. Often the farm house has fallen in or been torn down. But the legacy of those pass-along plants lives on.