Colorful blooms abound in Nacogdoches as springtime awakens after a cold winter.
Winter is a confusing season here in Nacogdoches. It seems like half the time we are covering our plants with sheets and wrapping our pipes to keep it all from freezing. Then, the other half of the time we are wearing shorts and drinking ice tea as we rake our lawns. I compare it to the “He loves me, he loves me not” ritual of little girls as they pull individual petals off of a daisy. “Today it’s freezing, tomorrow it’s hot. Today is 20 degrees, tomorrow is not.” Last night brought some pretty chilly air, but it will be back up into the 70’s before you know it.
No matter the sporadic weather patterns, spring always seems to arrive in East Texas, bursting with a brilliant kaleidoscope of color. Already the trees are budding and blooming, flowers along the roadside are pushing up, and the azaleas will be close behind. Nacogdoches in springtime is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful, color-rich places in the country. This will be our first spring as the Garden Capital of Texas, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. We are so blessed to be right in the middle of such abundant beauty. I will be taking many an opportunity to enjoy the SFA Arboretum and Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden, as well as enjoying my own personal azaleas. It just instantly puts me in a better mood.
So hang in there! I’m certain we have some more whacky weather ahead of us, but just close your eyes and remember that the blooms are coming. And what a wonderful sight it will be to open your eyes when they have come.