For most of his life, Chris Wiesinger has been on the hunt for perennials that thrive in the sweltering heat of the places he has called home—Louisiana, Southern California and Texas. In seemingly endless stretches of green, he spots rings of daffodils and splotches of herbs that, to the trained eye, mark where a garden was lovingly tended generations before. Here, in the stillness of a long-forgotten homesite, heirloom perennials push through the soil, as if on cue, year after year, paying no mind to the suffocating humidity and blistering sun. These precious finds are the foundation of The Southern Bulb Company, which Wiesinger founded with friends in 2004 to spread the joy of annual blooms.

“You planted them once, maybe recently, maybe ten years ago, and they just keep blooming in spite of anything else going on in your life,” he says. “Whether you’re stressed from work, facing a debt or a loss, or dealing with a problem in a relationship, or you’re simply tired, you look outside and think, ‘oh, wow, that’s beautiful.’ And you realize you had something to do with it. But really, you just facilitated it, and life keeps marching on.”

In time, they wither, yielding to other blooms with the promise of returning. That promise was at the heart of his childhood desire to see tulips return effortlessly to his Southern California garden growing up, and it became the catalyst for his career and countless adventures.

In 2008, a New York Times reporter accompanied Wiesinger on one of his many quests for heirloom flower bulbs, subsequently dubbing him “The Bulb Hunter” in a two-page color spread. And while The Southern Bulb Company was well established by that time, the new nickname marked a pivotal moment in his career. After its publication, people from hot, humid climates worldwide sought out Weisinger’s expertise and the rare, heirloom bulbs he collected and sold, which thrive in such conditions. The nickname even became the title of the book he penned with his college professor and mentor, Dr. Bill Welch.

“A lot of people in the world live in hot, dry areas or hot, humid areas, which is a stark difference to what we see in most garden literature, which is often England and France or the Northeast or the Northwest, with cooler temperatures and more rain,” Weisinger explains.

Early on, mentors like Welch urged him to seek out perennials at old homesites. Unsure whether that meant in the chill of January or the heat of July, he simply began driving the backroads, stopping to roam fields where gardens of abandoned properties may be. With each trip, he would spot something in bloom, and the more he searched, the more spectacular sites he uncovered. “If you’re passionate about something, you go looking for it,” Wiesinger says. “When you’re passionate, you read everything, ask questions and keep experimenting.”

For those interested in hearing tales of Wiesinger’s travels as well as expert tips for cultivating and growing bulbs in the South, LSU Hilltop Arboretum will host “Bulbs & Stories: A Morning with Chris Wiesinger” on Saturday, October 18, from 9 a.m. to noon, with heirloom blooms available for purchase. To learn more and buy tickets, visit lsu.edu/hilltop.