Are you tired of playing nursemaid to flowers? Work and planning is unnecessary with flowers that self-sow, replanting themselves from seed every year. Count among self-sowers some annuals, biennials and perennials.
One favorite, twinkling up at you each spring with its starry, white-eyed, blue flowers, is forget-me-not. Nurture and plant it once, and a new crop appears each spring.
Also reliably coming back are calendulas, also known as pot marigolds.
There’s ferny-foliaged cosmos, as well as the old-fashioned bush balsam, with red, pink or white blossoms that resemble miniature roses.
Your job is, in late spring, to pull some out where they are overcrowded, and to pull all out where they are not wanted.
You may sense that self-sowing flowers walk a fine line between being garden plants and weeds.
Foxglove may be too freely self-sowing in your garden.
Nicotiana is also very free in this sense. But you may want to keep it around anyway so as not to miss out on its irresistible nocturnal fragrance.
Even charming, dainty flowers such as chamomile and Johnny-jump-up can be frighteningly prolific in an environment that is too congenial.
Be aware that offspring will not necessarily be identical to each other or replicas of their parent — definitely not if you begin with hybrids. But the resulting variability and reversion to wilder forms lend a relaxed, friendly air.
Hundreds of Tylerites, tourists and even pets strolled along the city’s brick streets and meticulously manicured lawns in the Azeala District on Saturday during the 50th Annual Azalea and Spring Flower Trail.
The mild weather was a perfect setting for the annual festival and the mood along several blocks was serene, despite the host of observers who were wowed by the lavish scenery. Along West Dobbs Street, there was the sound of music and the smell of chili simmering as teams of ardent chili chefs prepared their dishes for the annual cookoff.
Nearby, at Bergfeld Park, children bounced in gigantic playhouses or climbed a rock wall, while adults meandered through acres of arts and crafts goodies.
But of course the center of the festival — blossoming azaleas — took precedence. Visitors trekked across Texas and even the country to view the thousands of flowers that dotted homes along the trail. They marveled at the shades of fuchsia, purple, yellow and white blooms and were appreciative to the homeowners who opened up their gardens for all to enjoy.
This was the first time Barbara Savage, of Plano, visited Tyler during the Azalea Trail festivities. She came to meet with friends but admits she was pleasantly surprised by the annual event.
“It’s a nice addition,” she said. “These gardens are done so beautifully that it makes you want to go home and do something.”
Former Tylerite Jean Taylor, now of Houston, returned to Tyler as she does each year for the event. Camera in tow, she snapped several photographs of the
blooms for her personal album, which she says she pulls out every so often to look at.
“It’s just wonderful each year,” she said. “It’s more organized and it gets better and better.”
Toni and John Raymond, with daughters Hannah, 6, and Rachel, 4, traveled from Austin for a family outing. Raymond said he liked the red, white and pink combinations for floral arrangements but most of all enjoyed the laid back temperament of East Texans.
“People here are so polite,” he said. He added about the Azalea Trail, “It’s just so well run and beautiful. It’s relaxing.”
Kim Jones, of Pinon, N. M., was also surprised by her first visit to the event. On a work-related assignment as an occupational therapist, she was invited to the trail by a friend and brought along her Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who also seemed to love the landscape.
She said she will return next year and bring her husband. She also would like to mimic the striking sites for her own home, but says she’ll have to be creative.
“In New Mexico, it is very dry so it will be a challenge to figure out what to plant,” she said.
Sightseers were not the only fans of the annual festival. It was a joy for some special girls, the Azalea Belles, to be a part of the event, they said. Calley Waggonner, 14, and Kelsey LaFerney, 16, smiled, waved and greeted visitors as they approached the homes. Daintily sitting on a lawn on South College Avenue, they were outfitted in antebellum-styled gowns, complete with lace gloves, fans and umbrellas to shield the afternoon heat.
They both asserted that being a visual part of the Azalea Trail was a life-long dream and they enjoyed meeting new people.
“I’ve always wanted to be an Azalea Belle since I was little,” Ms. Waggonner said.
Ms. LaFerney added, “I wanted to help represent Tyler. I’ve always wanted to be a part of the Azalea Trail. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can share it with my children one day.”
The two ladies are among 30 belles who rotate during the event.
For 15 years, Guy and Joan Pyron, have lived in the Azalea District. The homeowners’ sprawling lawn, with its bridges, benches, patio and canopy, attracted a steady stream of visitors.
Pyron estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 people visit the trail each year. He spends hours maintaining the backyard but he keeps the compliments and admiration of strangers in mind when exerting all of the effort.
“It makes it worthwhile,” he said. “We do it for the public. We feel like this is our way of giving back to Tyler. It’s been good to us and we’re happy to do this. It appeals to so many people and brings a lot of people into Tyler.”
The Pyrons and their two cocker spaniels greeted people who crossed in front of them before heading to the next garden. The most generous compliment he’s heard was angelic.
“Someone said, ‘This must be what heaven is going to be like,’” he said. “It’s gratifying.”
Just a few yards away, Bonny and Don Edmonds, also welcomed a flow of people who were impressed with the English-style home and lawn, which included a maze.
“It’s so much fun that it’s like throwing a big party,” Mrs. Edmonds said. “They are very appreciative that we open our yards to them.”
The gardens of the Edmonds and Pyrons, along with neighbor Margaret Davis, not only amaze the thousands of visitors that stroll through their backyards each year, but it caught the eye of a national magazine writer. Their homes will be featured in the April issue of Southern Living Magazine.