If your looking for a sure thing, Texas has its share of spring garden events. Several of the East Texas events feature big displays of Azaleas, and as a bonus, the dogwoods are also beautiful here in the Spring. Places like Austin and San Antonio are drier and that will be reflected in the gardens.  Both of these cities are in the Texas Hill Country. State Highway 16 from San Antonio to Kerrville and on to Fredericksburg is a grand ride in the Spring. The opportunities for side trips from the Austin area are endless. San Angelo and the International Waterlily Collection is  the statistical outlier. Never been there, but this might be the year I finally make it.

Call this my Spring drive 2010 wish list. Ordered by approximate distance from the DFW Metroplex. I hope this list inspires some of you to get out and travel.

Dallas Blooms A dazzling spring display of floral color. With over 450,000 bulbs and 3000 azaleas making this the Southwest’s largest outdoor floral festival. (From the Dallas Blooms web site.) Really is a wonderful display of azaleas and bulbs, and they work hard for the results you see. The place is huge, 66 acres I believe. Be prepared to do some walking. Can be busy on weekends.

March 6 – April 11 – Dallas Blooms

Fort Worth Botanic Gardens Many gardens in a single setting near the Fort Worth Cultural District.  The Rose Garden, free admission, is quite nice in late March and most of April.  I almost always walk through the Perennial and the Four Seasons Gardens when I go there. The Japanese Garden is a very nice walk too. The Conservatory and the grounds around it are nice in Spring. Busy on weekends.

Late March and April – Fort Worth Botanic Gardens

Weatherford Texas Chandor Gardens Chandor Gardens began as the private gardens of well known 20th century portrait artist Douglas Chandor. He converted a rock and cactus covered hillside in Weatherford Texas into a truly outstanding one-man garden. Today Chandor Gardens is operated by the City of Weatherford.  The gardens, broken up into distinct garden rooms, combine elements of both Chinese and English gardens.

April – mid-November, Saturday 9am to 3pm, Sunday 1pm to 5pm or call 817-613-1700 to make special arrangements – Chandor Gardens

Mineral Wells Texas Clark Gardens Botanical Park began as a small private garden in 1972 but evolved into a 35 acre scenic and educational facility that opened to the public in 2000. Paths wind among 50 plus gardens embracing native and Texas adaptable plants displayed among lakes, ponds, and waterfalls.

Gardens designed for year-round displays. See the bloom dates page on Clark Gardens’ web site for details. Clark Gardens Botanical Park

Tyler Texas Azalea Trails Each Spring in Tyler Texas, beautiful landscaped yards and gardens abound with colorful blooming Azaleas. Azaleas were first introduced to Tyler in 1929, but it wasn’t until 1960 that the Tyler Chamber of Commerce organized this event and started marking trails. Today there are eight miles of marked Azalea Trails passing by beautiful residential gardens and historic home sites.

March 19 – April 4 – Tyler Azalea Trails

Palestine Texas Dogwood Trails Festival 71st Annual Texas Dogwood Trails Celebration. Parade, Arts and Crafts, Live Music, Festival Food, Car Show, Kidz Zone. Featured area during the Texas Dogwood Trails event, the 200 acre Davey Dogwood Park near Palestine Texas is another attraction.

Last 2 weekends in March, First weekend in April – information at Palestine Chamber of Commerce, 903-729-6066.

Nacogdoches Texas Azalea Trail and the Ruby M Mize Azalea Garden Nacogdoches Texas has an Azalea Trails event each year. Their claim is that they have Texas’ largest azalea garden. The garden is the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden at Stephen F. Austin State University.

March 13 – April 3 – Nacogdoches Texas

Austin Texas Zilker Botanic Gardens Located on 30 acres in Austin it has theme gardens, such as rose, herb and Japanese gardens interconnected with streams, walkways, waterfalls and Koi-filled ponds.

Zilker Garden Festival – March 27 & 28,  or call 512-477-8672.

City of San Angelo International Waterlily Collection The city of San Angelo lists 7 Public gardens on their web site. The San Angelo International Waterlily Collection is located at Civic League Park, which is described as the city’s unofficial botanic gardens.  I’ve heard good things about the waterlily collection and understand April is a good time to visit.  The International Waterlily Collection has been designated by the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society as a premiere collection of lilies in existence. I have never visited here but it’s on my short list. Do your own research, don’t trust me. I suspect this is one fine garden.

San Angelo International Waterlily Collection – http://www.sanangelotexas.org/

San Antonio Botanic Gardens and  the McNay Art Museum San Antonio has plenty of attractions. The botanic gardens are first rate, as I recall.  The grounds at the McNay Museum are beautiful and an ideal place for a garden walk or picnic.

Got a better idea? Tell us about your favorite Spring garden spot. Leave a comment below, and I’ll share it!

[Note: this article was originally published in 2009, but dates and links have been updated for the 2010 season. ]

Ladies in period dress during the Tyler Azalea Trail

Why It’s Interesting

This triplet of Spring events are good excuses to get outdoors and relax in an enjoyable setting.

The Story of Three Azalea Events

It occurred to me earlier this week that Spring is slipping up on us. Here in Texas azaleas and bluebonnets are the big favorites. bluebonnets appear on road sides and in fields across many areas of the state. Azaleas on the other hand are more common in well developed gardens. There are several well developed Azalea tours in Texas each Spring, and I would like to talk about them and also solicit suggestions for additional locations worth going to see.

East Texas seems to have more than it’s share of azaleas in the spring. Tyler is definitely a good destination if your interested in floral displays in a garden setting. This year is the 49th annual Azalea Trail for them. They have mapped tours of spectacular gardens in beautiful old neighborhoods. You wouldn’t want to miss the Tyler Rose Garden either. They have plenty of azaleas planted there and work on the gardens for a peak during this event. The Tyler Azalea Trails event is from March 14 to April 6, 2008. See their Web site for more details.

Nacogdoches Texas has an Azalea Trails event each year. The claim is that they have Texas’ largest azalea garden in the oldest city on Texas. The garden is the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden at Stephen F. Austin State University. I’ve never attended this event but I have been to Nacogdoches. Somehow I know this is a good event and worth a look. Check out the Web site for the Nacogdoches Azalea Trails.

The Dallas Arboretum has an absolutely spectacular floral display each spring. They call it Dallas Blooms. I attended this one a couple years back and is was almost too much. The variety and expanse of displays was amazing. They have 66 acres of gardens, and you will be very tired if you walk them all. They say this year it will feature over 400,000 blooming bulbs and 3000 azaleas. Admission is not free, but this is truly a magical place each spring.

So these are the places I know about. Somehow I’m sure there are dozens of other organized events like these across the state of Texas. Please feel free to post your comments and recommendations for Spring floral displays and organized events.