Janis Ruksans was in town yesterday to speak to our local rock gardening chapter. He was to have given two presentations, but it became apparent during the first that his voice was not going to last; the decision was made to cancel the second talk. The first, on the bulb collecting areas of the former Soviet Union, was certainly generous enough. Lots of members went home with autographed copies of his book Buried Treasures. I was particularly lucky this time because I was asked to show Janis around after the talks; out of consideration to his failing voice, I tried to keep my chatter to a minimum as I showed him around. The meeting had been held at the US Botanic Garden which is across the street from the US Capitol; in other words, we were already surrounded by a million and one things of potential interest to visitors. But it was an unseasonably hot and humid October day here, hardly the sort of day to be traipsing around outside. Janis mentioned, by the way, that Latvia had just come through a June (or was it a July?) when the high temperature was 17º Celsius! So we opted for one of the air conditioned art galleries (for anyone interested, there is a great exhibition of the works of Turner currently running at the National Gallery, although Janis and I didn’t make it to that one). After a bit of picture viewing, we had a long, slow lunch – more opportunity for bulb talk. Then I dropped Janis off with the Nicolsons, his hosts during this visit. Later that day, the Nicolsons hosted a dinner in his honor, and of course this provided yet more time for bulb talk. Since everyone at table was a gardener of one sort or another, and since all of us have traveled, there were some fascinating discussions of stories we’ve heard (always second-hand, of course) about the art of bringing undocumented plants (and a lizard or two) across international borders in these days when even the ordinary tourist is apt to be subjected to precariously intimate searches. This discussion became hilariously raucous after a story about a silver lining associated with mastectomies and the artful simulation of false pregnancies; not to be outdone, one of the gentlemen mirthfully recounted some instructions on how to stuff one’s underwear in such a way as to not only allow the unperceived transport of plants but also to give a very favorable impression of one’s virility to snoopy provincial inspectors. After dinner, a computer was available, so Janis and I sat down and started looking at pictures. First, I showed him – by way of confirming the names - some images of arilate irises he had sent me. I sensed that he was pretty well revived, and before long he volunteered to show the slides from some of the other presentations he was giving on this tour. The other guests, not all of them enthusiastic bulb growers, were drifting off by now, but Janis and my friend Bobbie (my sister mysteriously separated from me at birth; we are so much alike that we’re convinced that we are brother and sister; we also decided that Janis is also our long lost brother) stayed for more. There followed another hour or maybe more of enchanted slide viewing on the computer: the program Janis has put together on the bulbous irises of central Asia is the stuff of dreams. I felt a bit guilty about monopolizing the guest of honor for so long, especially since our hostess, Alice, who is an enthusiastic grower of choice bulbs, was tied up with postprandial clean up. I hope I live long enough to see (and to afford!) some of these amazing plants. I also enjoyed the program on how Janis grows his bulbs. I had seen the DVD version of this (he provided this last year when he had to cancel because of his accident); but seeing it again, with Janis sitting beside me and making lots of comments and answering lots of questions on my part made this a very special experience. Janis is a wonderful resource and a delightful companion. I hope the other chapters which have scheduled him have the chance to take full advantage of all he has to over. And for those of you who will not get the chance to hear him speak, there is always his new book Buried Treasures. Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, 7 where October has morphed into late July. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ BLOG! http://mcwort.blogspot.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/