Gardening

The monthly "First Tuesday in the Garden" lecture series, an educational program sponsored by the Smith County Master Gardeners, will begin at noon Tuesday, in the I.D.E.A. Garden at the Tyler Rose Garden, publicity officials said.

This month's topic is "Growing Azaleas in East Texas." Keith Hansen, Horticulture Agent with Smith County AgriLife Extension Service, will share information on selecting, planting and growing these evergreen shrubs that are so spectacular this time of year.

This program is free, open to the public, and about an hour long. The I.D.E.A. Garden is located in the southeast corner of the Rose Garden with ample parking available outside of the southeast gate. The "First Tuesday in the Garden" programs will continue monthly through the middle of the summer.

The next programs are "Butterfly Gardens," May 6 and "Texas Superstars," June 3.

The series will resume in September.

Master Gardeners, a volunteer organization of Texas AgriLife Extension, are people from all walks of life who enjoy and are dedicated to teaching others about gardening, plant diseases and pests. Additional information can be found at the Master Gardener's Web site, Grovesite.com/mg/smg or the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Web site, EastTexasGarden-ing.tamu.edu.