The Stephen F. Austin State University Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden will host the annual Nacogdoches Azalea Trail symposium on March 13 in Room 110 of the Agriculture Building on Wilson Drive.
Noted Texas A&M horticulturist Dr. William C. Welch will be the featured speaker. Welch will share his enthusiasm for camellias and other heirloom plants in his lecture, "A Passion for Camellias."
Welch is the author of "Perennial Garden Color," "Antique Roses for the South," "The Southern Heirloom Garden" and "The Bountiful Flower Garden." "Southern Heirloom Gardening" by Welch and Greg Grant will be published by Texas A&M Press in the spring of 2011. Welch is a regular contributor to Neil Sperry's Gardens and Southern Living magazine. His homes and gardens have been featured in books and articles throughout the South. He was recently presented the Great Gardeners Award by the American Horticulture Society.
In his lecture, Welch will present the many benefits of adding fall-blooming Camellia sasanqua and spring-blooming Camellia japonica to residential azalea gardens.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the first program begins at 9 a.m. Lunch is provided, followed by tips on pruning camellias, propagating azaleas and a guided tour of the azalea garden. The symposium is sponsored by SFA Gardens and the Texas Chapter of the Azalea Society of America. Admission is $30 for SFA Gardens members and $40 for non-members.
For more information and to register, contact the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau at 888-OLDEST-TOWN, fax (936) 462-7688 or visit www.nacogdochesazaleas.com. For information on the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden,
e-mail sfagardens@sfasu.edu or call Barbara Stump at (936) 468-4129.
Axe ’Em, Jacks!