Colorful Pictures ~ Attractions in Houston, Texas ~ Azalea Trail ~ Ima Hogg's Bayou Bend

Azalea Trail

Bayou Bend is now a part of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and can be toured year round. However, if one is seeking attractions in Houston and happen to be here in the springtime when the Azalea Trail is being conducted, be sure to visit this grand dame of locations. And also be sure to take your camera! You will walk away with the most beautiful of colorful pictures!

Each year in early March, Bayou Bend and many other gorgeous home gardens are opened to the public and for the price of a ticket one can freely wander the pristine grounds and admire the brilliant colors of azaleas that are showcased amidst the other well tended landscaping plants.

For the most part these homes are large and elegant as are the yards and gardens.

Be prepared to be wearing good and comfortable walking shoes because one is certain to get some exercise on those days! Sometimes even walking from one's car to the entrance to the gardens can be quite a hike depending upon how many people are coming and going in their vehicles at the time of one's visit.

The Azalea Trail in Houston is an annual affair that is eagerly anticipated each year by residents and visitors alike.

Bayou Bend Houston

Due to the philanthropy of the commonly called "First Lady of Texas" ( Ima Hogg ) the Bayou Bend Collection...large home and all 14.5 acres ( 5.9 ha ) became part of the Museum of Fine Arts and opened to the public in 1966.

Ima Hogg had 3 brothers and her father had been a former Attorney General as well as Governor of Texas. Miss Hogg never married although she had plenty of suitors over the years.

The family was well off but when oil was discovered on their Varner plantation, the children then became extremely wealthy and decided to share their money and resources with others who had not had that chance of luck.

The Hogg brothers were responsible for developing River Oaks where many of the wealthy individuals originally chose to settle back in the days when Houston, Texas was still relatively small in the 1920's. It is still a grand and impressive site today.

Noted architect John Staub was chosen to design Ima Hogg's mansion which was named Bayou Bend. After she moved into Bayou Bend she furnished it with her large international art collection and American furniture collection.

When she decided to move out and donate her Houston estate to the MFAH, she often sat on the back veranda during the Azalea Trail and she seemed to enjoy the crowds of people wandering the grounds. After touring the gardens visitors would then walk through the ground floor of Bayou Bend with docents pointing out some of the rare pieces in the roped off rooms as people made their way from the back to the front of the mansion where they then exited.

Miss Hogg was quite the lady! I remember my grandmother speaking to her on one of those Azalea Trails many years ago. She was very gracious to those who recognized her and conversed with her.

Miss Ima Hogg has left quite a legacy behind her!

She helped establish the Houston Symphony orchestra and her Ima Hogg Foundation still supports up and coming musicians with scholarships. She studied music as well as art and obviously loved both.

She actually helped advise on the furnishings for our nation's White House!

The Child Guidance Center in Houston was also originated because of her efforts. She was not only interested in mental health, but also disdained racial or gender inequalities.

Her donations of art to our fine arts museum far exceed what is contained within Bayou Bend. There are collections of art actually named after the Hogg's. 

Those of us who live in Houston, Texas bear much evidence of this generous lady's philanthropy throughout her lifetime and now long into the future.

Landscaping plants

Many home gardeners who live in climates that support the growing of azaleas like to use them as landscaping plants because of their amazing colors when in bloom.

Most often people choose the evergreen type of azalea which keeps its leaves year round, but there are also deciduous kinds available if one desires.

The nurseries do a brisk job this time of year selling azalea plants when people see the blaze of colors that azalea bushes produce as they walk or drive around town.

When in full bloom the leaves are hardly noticeable as the blossoms envelop the shrubs.

Looking out our back windows right now, our azaleas look like bright bouquets of color!

Encore azaleas

There are literally thousands of different types of azaleas to suit almost any-one's landscaping desires.

Most of them bloom just once during the year and the brilliant color lasts for several weeks.

In Houston, the month in which these azaleas are at their prettiest is in March.

In more northern climates this splendorous show takes place from about mid-April to mid-May.

Azaleas can be cold hearty down to as low as a minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

For several years another type of azalea that blooms more than one time during the year has caught the attention of home gardeners and professional landscapers alike. This is the Encore Azalea.

We have planted several of these beauties in our own garden and enjoy their flower production now as well as later in the year.

Nursery plants

When purchasing your azalea nursery plants be sure that you have the right growing environment for them at home before planting.

Most azaleas prefer growing in a semi-shaded area and like a slightly acid soil.

Plant them with their root crown slightly above ground level and keep them well mulched to help protect the roots against extreme cold and/or heat.

We use pine bark mulch but pine needles work just as well depending upon the look one wants. For obvious reasons, azaleas do well when grown amongst pine trees.

The ideal time to trim the branches is right after they have bloomed so as not to cut off the following year's bud production. Fertilizing azaleas should also be done at this same time of year.

If one sees leaves that are turning yellow, this can be a sign of the plant needing more acid. Much of this can be avoided if a large enough hole is dug and the soil prepared ahead of time prior to planting to ensure the right kind of growing environment. There are products that can be applied after the fact to amend the soil making it more acid if one catches it in time.

This little bit of extra care required in growing these azalea beauties will reward one for years to come with the most amazing color displays during the time when they are in full and glorious bloom.

Colorful pictures

My husband and I had a grand time driving around town and taking these colorful pictures of azaleas in bloom this year.  The pictures from Bayou Bend are ones taken years ago.

Colors typically vary from pure white to various shades of pink, red, purple and even an orange color.  Yellow blossoms can be found in the deciduous varieties of azaleas.  Petal colors can be solid or have striations of colors.

The flowers also come in a variety of single petals to double ones and petal shapes can also vary.

Taking photos of azaleas in bloom can be a photographer's delight!

If you enjoyed looking at these colorful pictures about attractions in Houston particularly during the annual azalea trail and learning something about Ima Hogg and the Bayou Bend Collection of our Fine Arts Museum, please leave a comment below and vote.  Thanks!