The city's East End, near the University of Houston, is home to two folk art environments. The Flower Man's House stands at Sampson and Francis, one block off Elgin St. Here a yard man called Cleveland Turner has created a tiny kingdom of exotic flowering plants and ornaments. Everything bursts with bright colors - the blossoms, window boxes, entryway framing, even the curb, which has been painted a shiny blue. Careful inspection of the curb area reveals the most unexpected garden in progress, teaming with cotton, squash, even pumpkins and watermelon.

This house replaces an earlier, but equally eyecatching home a few miles away, which fell prey to vandals. (His nickname came from lush, unusual plants that thrived in that yard, which schoolchildren would visit on field trips.) He built the predecessor as part of a bargain with God, in which he promised to build a thing of beauty in return for God s helping him stay sober. Both sides have kept the deal; Turner did not return to drinking after the vandalism, and rebuilt his thing of beauty within six months at this second location.

More, please! / Take me back!

Copyright 1996 by Kathy Biehl. All rights reserved. Permission is granted for electronic replication of this article only if you include the copyright notice.