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Once again, the Smith County Master Gardeners will sponsor garden tours as their annual fund-raising project and this year's event is scheduled for Saturday, May 3.

Four lovely gardens are scheduled for the tour, including the woodland garden home belonging to the interesting couple who designed and built it, Dr. Ken and Sharon Nelson.

The Nelsons home is nestled in a long established area of Tyler called Heritage South. When the home was built, some 33 years ago, the flower beds were typical of those in the neighborhood at the time - two feet wide with square corners surrounding the house.

It didn't take long for Dr. Nelson, an avid gardener, to make changes and install his beloved orchid greenhouses. He has been an American Orchid judge, traveling the world to judge orchids.

For many years he has been a lecturer and served as Chairman of the Orchid Society in Dallas. Dr. Nelson, a thoracic surgeon, was chief of surgery and chief of staff at The University of Texas Health Center at Tyler. When he recently retired, the UT Board of Regents bestowed the honor of Professor Emeritus upon him.

Twelve years ago, when Sharon Nelson retired from her long career at the UTHCT, she decided to enroll in the Smith County Master Gardeners' class offered by Texas Agricultural Extension. She was interested in joining her husband in their gardening endeavors. Their plan was to turn the almost two-acre, wooded land into a useable garden space. Not only did Mrs. Nelson complete the course and become a Master Gardener, but during a two year period, she mastered the certified landscape designer courses offered by Dr. William Welch, author of several books on landscape design, and a professor with Texas A&M Extension at College Station.

Dr. Nelson enjoys great variety in a garden and he likes the surprise element. To that end, he plants bulbs of all varieties in many locations, so that they will come up at various times throughout the growing season. This serves to illuminate different areas of the garden, making a tour interesting at any time of the year. Mrs. Nelson likes a bit more formal arrangement, which forms the general design of the garden.

There is a long column of conical shaped "Nellie R. Stevens" hollies lining the northwestern side of the space. The variety and number of hosta, rhododendrons, mahonias, iris, daylilies, and magnolias is just amazing.

While each gardener has their own style and interests in gardening, the Nelsons realized that they shared a great love for Japanese Maples. This would be the uniting theme for the garden.

With almost 120 different maple cultivars, Maple Walk Garden is certainly living up to its name. Some of the maples are just starting out and are small; many others are gorgeous specimen trees. Since its beginning, the Nelsons have been members of The Maple Society, North American Branch, which is an outgrowth of The Maple Society in Europe.

Mrs. Nelson is the current president of the North American Branch, and will be holding the next meeting in Japan in the fall. Through this organization, the couple has become good friends with other "maple nuts" from around the world.

One of these is well-known author Peter Gregory of the United Kingdom who has written all of the revisions of J. D. Vertrees' magnificent and definitive books on Japanese Maples.

Gregory has hosted the couple in England and visited the Nelsons in Tyler, where he spoke to a meeting of the Smith County Master Gardeners. In addition, the Nelsons have traveled extensively in England to take summer classes at Oxford University, and to experience the beautiful gardens found everywhere there.

The rambling, flagstone pathway forms a gentle course through this enchanting woodland garden. Like other well-designed gardens, Maple Walk Garden has different rooms with different themes.

The delicate and lovely Japanese Maple trees are the highlights of this charming garden retreat. Beside the exceptionally beautiful garden pool with its deep blue color and arching water sprays, a raised garden bed nurtures two varieties of maples that lend themselves to the tranquility of the pond - "Crimson Queen" and "Waterfall."

When Peter Gregory had visited their garden, while it was in progress, he had affirmed their choices.

While any designer will take ideas from many sources, in the end it is the decision of the owners as to how the garden will proceed.

Amazingly, the Nelsons have accomplished much of their own work in the extensive gardens.

It is with gratitude that the Nelsons acknowledge the incredibly hard work of fellow Master Gardener, Tim Krizan. In addition, Mrs. Nelson commissioned Mica Perez, a landscape designer with Breedlove's Nursery, to complete a far back garden area to house an originally designed fountain, which was a Christmas gift for Dr. Nelson.

In this area can be found an open pergola with a restful meditative spot, where the Nelsons entertain family and friends and enjoy a delicious afternoon tea.

Maple Walk Garden is a woodland gardener's "must see." Luckily, this garden and three others will be on tour for the Smith County Master Gardeners Spring Garden Tour. There will be maps of the garden available on the day of the tour, which will list the names and locations of the maples.

"What's Blooming In Our Garden'' is a regular feature of the Tyler Morning Telegraph Garden Page. It is written by Mary Claire Rowe, a Master Gardener with the Texas Cooperative Extension, and focuses on flowers and plant life around East Texas. To share your comments on gardening, write her in care of the Morning Telegraph.