Annual symposium to highlight Japanese maples

The Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, featuring more than 200 varieties of the Japanese maples

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The 13th annual Nacogdoches Azalea Trail Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at the newly opened Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building location at Stephen F. Austin State University's Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St.

Matt and Tim Nichols of Nichols Nursery in North Carolina and MrMaple.com will present "Heat-Tolerant Maples for the South" based on their 35 years of experience propagating and growing more than 1,000 kinds of Japanese maples. They will share information about growing maples in a southern climate, demonstrate how the trees are grafted and assist in a guided tour of the nearby Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, which features more than 200 varieties of the ornamental tree.

Cost, including lunch and garden tour, is $35 for SFA Gardens members and $40 for non-members. To register, call (936) 564-7351 or email info@visitnacogdoches.org. Participants may also register the morning of the event. For more information, email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.