A Celebration of Color

Azalea & Spring Flower Trail Welcomes Spring to Tyler

Tyler is known as the Rose Capital of America, with a rich history of growing the fragrant blooms dating back to the late 1870s. But roses aren’t Tyler’s only claim to horticultural fame.

Every year, the city welcomes thousands of visitors to the Azalea & Spring Flower Trail. Stretching across 10 miles through the Azalea, Brick Streets, and Charnwood residential districts, the trail treats visitors to displays of vibrant color and gorgeous landscape designs.

Laying Down Roots

The trail began with local nurseryman Maurice Shamburger. “In 1929, he planted the first azaleas in Tyler along Lindsey Lane,” says Susan Travis, Visit Tyler’s vice president of sales. “He was encouraging Tylerites to follow suit because he discovered they grow really well here.”

Maurice then joined forces with Sarah Butler, publisher of the Tyler Courier-Times, to spread the word. “She not only encouraged him to promote the azalea in the city, but she also planted a number of bushes at her own home on Charnwood Street,” Susan says.

Soon, azalea bushes were arriving from Georgia by the boxcar load. “Tylerites began buying the plants by the thousands,” Susan says. By 1960, the flowers were attracting so many visitors that the chamber of commerce established the trail route that, like its namesake shrub, flourished and grew.

Today, Susan estimates there are about 1,000 homes on the trail, drawing thousands of visitors. “It’s a permanent route,” she says. “If you buy a home on the Azalea Trail, you just know there are some expectations of you as a homeowner to keep your yard looking beautiful and to have azaleas.” Some of the blooming bushes visitors will marvel at this spring were planted in the 1930s and ’40s and have been meticulously maintained ever since.

Pyron Garden

The Azalea Trail is a free, self-guided tour. Visitors can drive along the route or park and stroll through sections at their leisure. There are no set hours, and admission is free.

The most popular stop is the Pyron Garden, Susan says. Guy and Joan Pyron moved from Dallas decades ago, buying a home on West Dobbs Street. They spent years beautifying the yard, adding a bridge over a creek, a pergola, statues, fountains, and even a greenhouse for Guy’s beloved orchids. “Every year it seemed like they would add something,” Susan says.

The couple gladly shared their garden. “They’ve let strangers get married in their yard, take graduation photos and wedding photos,” Susan says. “They were so welcoming. Mrs. Pyron especially, she just loved it. She’d go out and talk to visitors and share her story with them. She told me earlier this year, ‘God had a plan for me, and I didn’t understand it at the time. I’ve come in contact with so many people and been able to be a witness and a testimony to people and share God’s love with them.”

Guy died in 2020, and Joan sold the house last spring. Susan says the new owners know the garden’s history and welcome Azalea Trail guests.

Local Color

While Susan credits the homeowners on the route for making the Azalea Trail the draw it’s become, the event is much more than a celebration for flower fans. It’s a bright thread in the tapestry of Tyler. “It’s very important. Obviously, it is part of who we are. We’re known not just for the roses, but we’re known for the azaleas as well,” she says. “It is our culture, and it does bring in a lot of dollars. A lot of people come for the weekend. They stay in our hotels, and they’re eating at restaurants and shopping. It has a huge economic impact on the city.”