Betting on when azaleas will bloom is always chancy in Texas springs, but with flowering dogwood and redbud trees, tulips, daffodils and annuals as well as azaleas, there will be plenty to see at the annual Azalea and Spring Flower Trail in the East Texas city of Tyler, about ninety miles east of Dallas off I-20. The festival opens today and lasts through April 6.
Two official flower trails wend for eight miles through the city, beginning at grounds of the 1859 Goodman-LeGrand House & Museum, 624 North Broadway, just north of Tyler’s downtown square.
Drive slowly south, watching for the streetside signs directing visitors along the trails, which meander through several residential neighborhoods. Or download a map as well as a list of events from www.tylerazaleatrail.com/.
For closer viewing, park and walk. When I visited last year, I found streetside parking and streetside flowers plentiful in the well-named Azalea District and Charnwood District (marked by signage). Parking is allowed on all streets except South Broadway. The Azalea Trails brochure lists South College Avenue between Lindsey Lane and Dobbs Street, and Belmont Drive between First and Second Streets as popular parking places.
Azaleas can be slow to open after a cold spring like this year’s. But the showcase gardens, most privately owned, are stuffed with plenty of other blooms as the azaleas prepare to take the stage.
The illustration for this post was taken April 3 of last year at the combined gardens of the Pyron, Edmonds, and Davis families, featured in Southern Living magazine. A WPA-era drainage project included stone walking bridges that spanned the gardens. A beguiling sign said, “you are welcome to walk through our back yard.” How often do you see an invitation like that? I accepted, and was charmed.
Although not part of the official trails, Tyler’s Municipal Rose Garden, 1900 West Front St., decks itself both in azaleas and camellias at this time of year. It also hosts an azalea planting demonstration at 1:30 p.m. today. (Bloom from the Rose Garden’s more than 30,000 roses is expected about mid-April.)
Also off the trail, but worth a short detour is the Ina Brundrett Azalea Garden on the campus of Tyler Junior College, 1400 E. Fifth St. Admission is free for the Brundrett Garden, Rose Garden, and Goodman Museum.
For still more East Texas flowers, nearby Tyler State Park on FM 14 (about two miles north of I-20), showcases wild dogwood trees around a central lake. Take a drive-yourself tour along two-land Park Road 16, looping around the park’s central lake for the price of a $5 day pass for ages 13 and older. There are plenty of places to pull out for photo opportunities and picnics. See
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/tyler/ for information.
Showing posts with label Texas spring flowers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas spring flowers. Show all posts
Friday, March 21, 2014
Monday, February 20, 2012
Totally Texas -- Rains bring spring flowers
I write this on a day of continuous rain, trying to cheer myself with the reminder: in Texas, winter rains bring spring flowers. Substantial rain combined with this season’s mild weather could bring us a bumper crop of spring blooms and wildflowers. To help you with spring chores and show you where to enjoy the beauty of flowers like the cherry blossoms now gracing the Dallas Arboretum, today’s blog is dedicated to spring flowers in North Texas.
(Remember, flowers don’t always bloom on schedule. For events involving outdoor flowers, contact the websites to verify best bloom times.)
On-going -- Texas Discovery Gardens releases newly emerged butterflies daily at noon (because flowers need butterflies)! Entry to butterfly house included in admission, $8 for adults, $4 for children 3-11. At Fair Park, 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dallas, 75201. See www.TexasDiscoveryGardens.org/
Mid-February - March --Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden in East Texas, Highway 271 North, south of Gladewater. Open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily, weather permitting. Free. For bloom times and road conditions, see www.daffodilgarden.com
February 25 -- Calloway’s Nurseries’ Gardenfest program of speakers and workshops, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at its Arlington South, Flower Mound, Hurst and North Plano stores. Topics include bulbs, roses, color in the garden and more. Free. See www.calloways.com/gardenfest-calloways for complete schedule.
February 25 -- North Haven Gardens, 7700 Northaven Road in Dallas holds classes on winter-planted vegetables, drought-hardy gardening and roses as edible herbs. Free. See http://nhg.com/Events.htm for details.
February 25 -- Texas Discovery Gardens offers a new class on butterfly biology, 10 a.m. - noon. Cost: $15; $10 for TDG members. Register at www.TexasDiscoveryGardens.org/
March 3 -- Texas Discovery Gardens’ tour of butterfly house (repeats on first Saturdays); 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. (last ticket sold at 4:45 p.m.). Included with admission price. See www.TexasDiscoveryGardens.org/
March 3-April 8 -- Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3200 Botanic Garden Blvd., joins the butterfly fun with Butterflies in the Garden in its Conservatory, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tickets $10 for ages 13 and over, $6 for children. See http://fwbg.org/ for details and discounts.
March 3-April 8 -- Dallas Blooms, at Dallas Arboretum, 8617 Garland Road, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily. See www.dallasarboretum.org for pricing and special events during the festival MSN called one of the top places in the world to see spring flowers.
March 11 -- Japanese cherry-blossom viewing (hanami) -- Dallas Arboretum, including music and family activities. (Although the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens does not have a festival coinciding with cherry-blossoming, it updates bloom times on its Facebook page. See link at http://fwbg.org/)
March 23-25, March 30-31 & April 1 & 6-8 -- Palestine Dogwood Trails Celebration. Festival in downtown Palestine March 24, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Complete calendar available at www.palestinechamber.org/
March 23-April 8 -- Tyler Azalea and Spring Flower Trail. Azalea Trails Arts & Crafts Fair March 24-25; Saturday (24th) 9 a.m. -6 p.m.; Sunday (25th) 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. For complete calendar of events, see www.tylerazaleatrail.com/
April 1-30 -- Ennis Bluebonnet Trails. Bluebonnet Trails Festival April 21-22, 9 a.m. -5 p.m. See www.visitennis.org/
(Remember, flowers don’t always bloom on schedule. For events involving outdoor flowers, contact the websites to verify best bloom times.)
On-going -- Texas Discovery Gardens releases newly emerged butterflies daily at noon (because flowers need butterflies)! Entry to butterfly house included in admission, $8 for adults, $4 for children 3-11. At Fair Park, 3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dallas, 75201. See www.TexasDiscoveryGardens.org/
Mid-February - March --Mrs. Lee’s Daffodil Garden in East Texas, Highway 271 North, south of Gladewater. Open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily, weather permitting. Free. For bloom times and road conditions, see www.daffodilgarden.com
February 25 -- Calloway’s Nurseries’ Gardenfest program of speakers and workshops, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at its Arlington South, Flower Mound, Hurst and North Plano stores. Topics include bulbs, roses, color in the garden and more. Free. See www.calloways.com/gardenfest-calloways for complete schedule.
February 25 -- North Haven Gardens, 7700 Northaven Road in Dallas holds classes on winter-planted vegetables, drought-hardy gardening and roses as edible herbs. Free. See http://nhg.com/Events.htm for details.
February 25 -- Texas Discovery Gardens offers a new class on butterfly biology, 10 a.m. - noon. Cost: $15; $10 for TDG members. Register at www.TexasDiscoveryGardens.org/
March 3 -- Texas Discovery Gardens’ tour of butterfly house (repeats on first Saturdays); 11 a.m. through 5 p.m. (last ticket sold at 4:45 p.m.). Included with admission price. See www.TexasDiscoveryGardens.org/
March 3-April 8 -- Fort Worth Botanic Garden, 3200 Botanic Garden Blvd., joins the butterfly fun with Butterflies in the Garden in its Conservatory, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Tickets $10 for ages 13 and over, $6 for children. See http://fwbg.org/ for details and discounts.
March 3-April 8 -- Dallas Blooms, at Dallas Arboretum, 8617 Garland Road, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily. See www.dallasarboretum.org for pricing and special events during the festival MSN called one of the top places in the world to see spring flowers.
March 11 -- Japanese cherry-blossom viewing (hanami) -- Dallas Arboretum, including music and family activities. (Although the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens does not have a festival coinciding with cherry-blossoming, it updates bloom times on its Facebook page. See link at http://fwbg.org/)
March 23-25, March 30-31 & April 1 & 6-8 -- Palestine Dogwood Trails Celebration. Festival in downtown Palestine March 24, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Complete calendar available at www.palestinechamber.org/
March 23-April 8 -- Tyler Azalea and Spring Flower Trail. Azalea Trails Arts & Crafts Fair March 24-25; Saturday (24th) 9 a.m. -6 p.m.; Sunday (25th) 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. For complete calendar of events, see www.tylerazaleatrail.com/
April 1-30 -- Ennis Bluebonnet Trails. Bluebonnet Trails Festival April 21-22, 9 a.m. -5 p.m. See www.visitennis.org/
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