SOUTHERN GARDENS AND IRISH ROOTS

Although spring will arrive this week, area residents can only gaze out of their frosted windows and dream of warm breezes and sun-drenched flowers. But there are places where spring comes weeks before it does in these lands north of the Mason-Dixon line.  Over the next month, visitors to Natchez, Miss., can peek into the city's great antebellum mansions, as more than 30 private estates open their doors for the 67th annual "Spring Pilgrimage."

This most southern of towns boasts a rich history. Before the Civil War, when Natchez was in its prime, only New York City had more millionaires. Cotton was king, and slave-supported plantations flourished on both sides of the Mississippi. Wealthy plantation owners and merchants built hundreds of Greek revival and Italianate town homes. They spared no expense on furnishings, importing French ta pestries, Italian marble, and English carpets. Many of these grand homes survived the Civil War and subsequent travails and have been lovingly restored.  Visitors can hire horse-drawn carriages to visit the mansions of Natchez. Others stroll the shady brick streets on their own, breathing the heavy perfume of azalea, honeysuckle and gardenia. They can tour, admire and, since many of the mansions offer bed and breakfast, even sleep and eat in the grandeur of an age long since past. Old South-oriented pageants and plays staged during the month round out the entertainment. For more information, call Natchez Pilgrimage tours at 800-647-6742. 

Sixty miles down the Mississippi from Natchez lies the historic town of St. Francisville, La., where John James Audubon settled in 1821. This charming town is also well-endowed with historic homes and plantations, including Audubon's Oakley House, (504-635-3739) and two very special gardens.  Afton Villa (504-635-4196) lies at the end of a half-mile driveway flanked by rows of live oak interspersed with billows of huge red azalea and mature gardenia. Its Gothic mansion burned to the ground in 1963, but its ruins have been transformed into a garden of earthy delights. A carpet of Spanish moss and blooming spring bulbs set in a boxwood maze create an aura of grace and romance reminiscent of Tara in "Gone with the Wind."  Just five miles away is Rosedown Plantation (504-635-3332), with its Greek revival manor house amazingly unchanged in a century and a half. Formal flower gardens are laid out in French style, with axial lines and focal points. In March, the fragrance of banana shrubs lingers amid the bloom of Rosedown pink azaleas and winter-blooming camellias so old they've grown into trees.  Finally, 100 miles east, in Picayune, Miss., there's the native plant center of the Crosby Arboretum (601-799-2311), the country's first fully realized ecological garden. Louisiana iris and spider lily flourish in its native wetlands and piney woodlands, along with big-leafed magnolia, white-bud willow, Florida pinxter and flame azalea.  All are places where winter weary travelers can savor the sweet breath of spring.   Roots in Ireland  Another notable event this week is St. Patrick's Day.  As Kevin Cullen explains in his article on Page E-7, descendants of those who emigrated to this country during the great 19th century migrations are increasingly searching out their ancestral roots. Here are a few places to look.  In the Republic of Ireland, the Genealogical Office on Kildare Street in Dublin (011-353-1661-8811) is a good place to start. It combines the office of the Chief Herald and a personal consultation service. National Library, which has the same phone number, is another resource on Kildare St.  While the Office of the Registrar General in Joyce House at 8/11 Lombard St. (011-353-1671-1000) doesn't conduct private research, it's where to find records relating to births, deaths, and marriages since 1845.  A fire during the in the early 1920s destroyed many of its materials, but the National Archives in the Customs House on Bishop Street (011-353-1478-3711) remains a rich repository, especially pertaining to property.  The indexes at the Registry of Deeds on Henrietta Street (011-353-1670-7500) date to 1708.  In Northern Ireland, the best place to start your search is the Office of Public Records on Balmoral Street in Belfast (011-44-1232-251318). It houses most surviving official records since 1820.  Of course, those with some knowledge of the county or town from which their ancestors came can consult local parish records and libraries.  If you'd prefer expert assistance, several commercial agencies are ready to help. Two of the best are Hibernian Research Box 3097, Dublin 6 (011-353-1496-6522) and Belfast's Irish Heritage Association, 310 Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 1HE (011-44-1232-455325).