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Tyler is famous not only for its roses, the Tyler Rose Garden, and the Texas Rose Festival, but also for the beautiful Tyler Azalea Trail each year mid-March through the first week of April. Mile after mile of brick-lined streets and quiet neighborhoods explode with color, along with the dogwoods and and other spring-time flowers. Then, suddenly, it's over.

But, it doesn't have to be over. The foundation of most of the Tyler Azalea Trail are early-blooming azaleas that bloom just as or before new growth begins. Kurume, Southern Indica and a few other hybrid groups make up the bulk of the beauty.

In the past few years, Encore azaleas have hit the scene, promising repeat bloom in late summer and fall. Take a trip to the Ina Brundrett Azalea Garden at Tyler Jr. College (just east of the Jenkins Hall) to see examples of every variety that has been releases do far.

There is a group of azaleas that bloom in May, a group of Japanese hybrids called Satsuki -  which means "5th Month". There are hundreds of varieties, but only a few are popular in landscapes and in nurseries. One of my absolute favorite Satsuki varieties is called 'Wakaebisu'. It begins blooming in early to mid-May, and is a very heavy bloomer. I also like it because it is a very compact grower, staying low and slowly spreading, making a great shrub for the front of the border. Low-grower, heavy bloom, evergreen - what more can you want?

I had read an azalea popularity survey several years ago, and 'Wakaebisu' was on everybody's list of favorite pink varieties. Its May-bloom is a great way to extend the azalea blooming season, and to get fantastic color in your garden in May, where it can bridge the gap while pansies and snapdragons are fading while summer annuals and perennials are gaining steam for the summer show.

I like redbuds. They are great plants that fit into almost any yard and landscape. There are several great varieties, with improved darker colors, Aggie-maroon foliage ('Forest Pansy'), and even a weeping variety. These are clones or subspecies of the native Cercis canadensis. Then there are the Texas redbud and the Mexican redbud, with a tougher constitution to take drier climates of the central and southern part of Texas.

One of the greatest recent introductions is not a native, but a Chinese redbud (C. chinensis), and the one I'm most

familiar with is 'Avondale'. We have a specimen in the IDEA Garden (in the Tyler Rose Garden)  that is in full bloom right now (hopefully the mid-20's predicted for this evening won't totally blight the flowers). This plant literally is covered stem to stern, trunk to tip with flowers. This is a short, compact tree, and apparently doesn't get quite as tall, as the native redbud does. Literature states it tends to have multiple trunks, and perhas that is the case, but 'Avondale' is grafted, and ours is a single trunk. There is another 'Avondale' in Tyler Rose Garden on the southern edge of the main rose garden area. If you are looking for a small specimen tree for an up-close location, check this one out.

Another Chinese redbud variety that is becoming more available is 'Don Egolf', a National Arboretum release. It has the same, as the National Arb. puts it, "stem to stern" blooming characteristic, but sets no seed. 'Avondale' on the other hand, sets an abundance of the typical legume pod wherever there was a bloom - a characteristic some find distracting. It doesn't bother met that much.  'Don Egolf' is reported to grow slowly to 9 feet tall, so is would another great choice for a specimen or accent plant in the landscape.

Farfugium! It just kind of rolls off your tounge. At first, I really was miffed at the taxonomical change from what I knew as Ligularia tussilaginea to Farfugium japonicum. But, it acutally is a good thing, because what is still known as Ligularia are not predictably hardy here in our sultry Northeast Texas summers. Plus, I never did know how to pronounce "tussilaginea"! What is Farfugium? Probably best know as the Leopard Plant, large, lilypad like leaves with bright yellow splotches. Unlike their animal namesakes, I've had several Leopard Plants change their spots, or, more acurately, lose their spots. But, that doesn't bother me that much, because these are tremendous shade-loving perennials. Their large, bold leaves make great contrasts with feathery fern foliage. And, at this time if year, they are topped with an abundance of yellow daisy flowers, which clues you in that these are unlikely members of the Asteraceae or sunflower family. this photo is of a seedling that quickly reverted in my home garden. It is currently in full bloom. My favorite is the big, bold F. japonicum 'Giganteum' which I got from the good folks at Stephen F. Austin Mast Arboretum. It has enjoyed a prominent spot in my shade garden trial located in the Tyler Rose Garden. I'll share a photo a bit later.

A few years ago while visiting the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens, a little low growing plant in a shady grove caught my eyes. I'd never seen it before, but it had a sign right by it (bless the Bot. Garden folks for a good job of signage - the bane of many public gardens), removing guess work and searching. The sign gave it a charming name, too - Widow's Tears - botanically Tinantia pringlei.

It looks a lot like a spiderwort or dayflower (Tradescantia), and indeed, widow's tears is a common name for several different types of spiderworts. The informative sign confirmed it was in the Commelinaceae family, and also indicated it is native to Northeast Mexico. A search revealed that Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery collected this gem from the Sierra Chiquita Mountains on a 1994 expedition to Mexico. Tony gives its common name as Speckled Wandering Jew. This intriguing, low-growing plant has dull green leaves with extensive dark-purple splotches covering the leaves. I had to have a cutting, and quickly got permission from the head horticulturist. They rooted easily, and found a home in a shady spot in my front yard. 

The next 2 years were a bit trying due to the grueling drought, but they didn't die!  This year, they not only grew luxuriantly and bloomed over several months, with attractive, small, medium blue flowers, but also started coming up hear and there (in true Commelinaceae fashion) - I hope it doesn't become a pest! Several of the Tradescantia clan can be invasive. I'll keep a watchful eye out, ready to eliminate every last one if it looks like a take-over plant. But, in the meantime, I'm enjoying Widow's Tears.

I've also been admiring a related plant, and a true Tradescantia (though a hybrid), in the IDEA Garden. She's called 'Sweet Kate', and has golden foliage in spring and early summer, fading to light green in late summer and fall, and is covered with sky-blue flowers for several weeks in the summer. 'Sweet Kate' has shown no indications of casting seedlings everywhere - maybe she is a sterile hybrid (or the Master Gardeners are doing a good job of deadheading). Click here to go to the IDEA Garden database to see 'Sweet Kate'.