Smith County Master Gardners

The Smith County Master Gardeners Association is sponsoring talks by recognized experts about fall gardening, particularly the selection, planting, and care for heirloom bulbs.

An heirloom bulb sale will offer about 14,000 bulbs of more than 70 varieties. Some of the bulbs to be offered include various varieties of daffodils, jonquils, narcissus, crinums, rain lilies, hardy amaryllis, oxblood lilies, snowflakes, species tulips, and red spider lilies. These bulbs will naturalize in Texas but are not often found in local nurseries.

The event will be Oct. 28, with conference being held from 8:30 a.m. unto 11:30 a.m. The bulb sale follows at 11:45 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

The conference will be held in the Tyler Rose Garden Center at 400 Rose Park Drive in Tyler. Rose Park Drive is located off the 2000 block of West Front St. The heirloom bulb sale will be held on the grounds of the Tyler Rose Garden.

The conference will have three garden speakers with free program brochures. Door prizes will also be awarded.

Julie Ryan, a horticulturist, garden designer-contractor, and author, will speak on "Perennials, Companions to Bulbs...Gardeners, Companions to the Earth."

Ryan is the author and photographer of "Perennial Gardens for Texas" and co-author of "Landscaping with Texas Native Plants."

Celia Jones is the owner of Sister's Bulb Farm, started in the 1930's by her grandmother in Arcadia, La.

The farm has been featured in Southern Living, Fine Gardening and other gardening magazines.

Jones will be joined in her presentation, "Down to Earth," by Ben Arcuni, who is vice president of the Southern Bulb Company in charge of the bulb farm operations.

Arcuni will talk about the cultivation and propagation of bulbs for Texas and the South.

For more information, call Texas Cooperative Extension at 903-535-0885.