Whether your prized and pampered azaleas are the talk of the town or you have the blackest thumb in the neighborhood, the upcoming Azalea Trail Symposium is the place to be Saturday, March 13.

Titled “A Passion for Camellias,” the symposium will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 13, in the Ag Building at Stephen F. Austin State University. Registration is $40 per person, $30 for SFA Gardens members and includes lunch, the workshop, and a guided tour of the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden – the largest azalea garden in Texas.

The speaker this year, Dr. William Welch from Texas A&M Horticulture, will present the many benefits of adding fall blooming Camellia sasanqua and spring-blooming Camellia japonica to residential azalea gardens.

Flora Garden Club and area nurseries will be offering a variety of azaleas, perennials, houseplants and other choice ornamental shrubs and trees at the annual Azalea Plant Sale Saturday, March 20, on the downtown square.

The plant sale will be held from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. and is part of the 2010 Nacogdoches Azalea Trail, which continues through the end of the month. Organizers say plant enthusiasts should come early for the best selection and bring a cart or wagon to transport plants.

"The plant sale brings our community together to officially kick-off spring and allows patrons to see what local nurseries have to offer to beautify our town," says Camille Bolinger, project chairman for Flora Garden Club. "Proceeds from the sale are put back into community projects by supporting SFA scholarships, the Old Nacogdoches University Building and Gardens, Arbor Day, and Millard’s Crossing."

Plant vendors will be set up along Fredonia Street on the downtown square between Regions Bank and the Visitor Center. Shoppers can park along nearby streets or in the large lot behind the bank.

“The Art of Floral Design, Color & Textures from the Garden,” a Nacogdoches Azalea Trail event, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, March 27 in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, 329 E. Main Street. This year marks the 10th anniversary for the floral design exhibit.

The floral design exhibit will feature unique floral arrangements displayed on pedestals in the Ledbetter Gallery to showcase the talents of local gardeners, designers and plant enthusiasts. A list of plant materials will be displayed with each arrangement.

The Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau wants to help homeowners along the Azalea Trail get ready for next year’s big springtime event! To do so, the CVB presents the 2nd annual Extreme Makeover Nacogdoches Yard Edition. “We are thrilled to present this contest to our homeowners along the trails,” said Anderson Dolton, meeting and event coordinator of the CVB. “We couldn’t have pulled it all together without the support of our sponsors and the SFA Gardens.”

All homeowners along the three azalea trails are encouraged to enter the contest. Residents can see if their home qualifies by logging onto www.nacogdochesazaleas.com. The CVB is looking for three special front yards along the three different driving trails that they can enhance with beautiful azaleas, donated by the SFA Gardens.

Entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Monday, April 5, 2010 in order to be selected by a panel of expert judges. Bailey Bark Materials is donating the mulch and Keep Nacogdoches Beautiful will be assisting with labor. The makeover will take place in October, just in time to make the special front yards breathtaking during next year’s Azalea Trail.