As Jud and Marge Wingard survey the 15 acres of flowers, shrubs and trees at their Lexington County nursery, they reminisce about their beginnings.

"A neighbor gave us just a few cuttings," Marge Wingard said. "Now look…It just crept up on us."

What took over the Wingard's lives consumes most Southern gardeners this time of year --- azaleas.

Perhaps no other shrub, with its brilliant mounds of red, pink, white, salmon and lavender, can better announce the full-blown arrival of spring.

Azaleas have inspired book titles and festivals, and lent their names to businesses, motels and streets across the South. What's more, some say, azaleas --- along with dogwood and magnolia trees --- remind us of the graciousness of Southern living.

Next weekend that point will be made repeatedly to the rest of the country, thanks to the CBS cameras that will adoringly pan the fairways and greens of Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters.

The Masters and azaleas seem to be so inextricably linked in the public's and media's minds that few stories about the tournament fail to mention the shrubs. Even last year, when an early spring meant The Masters would be sans azaleas, writers found it necessary to write about the lack of floral flash.

How did this happen? It's very simple: Azaleas are easy to grow.

Azaleas, first brought to America in the mid-1700's, thrive in the South because they can take our wet springs and long, hot and sometimes dry summers.

They require little pruning and fertilizing, and have developed a toughness that most bugs can't dent.

Still, there are detractors.

"Either you love them or you hate them," said Sam Cheatham of the Clemson University Extension Service, in Lexington County.

"A lot of people don't like them. Other than 10 days to two weeks blooming, that's about it."

Some hybrids bloom later, said the Wingards. There are enough cultivars that a gardener who's willing to plan, can have azaleas blooming into the summer.

Another reason for their popularity is that azaleas can be planted year-round, even during the dry summer when heavier watering is recommended.

Right now the Wingards and other Midlands nursery owners are busy selling azaleas. Buyers, perhaps inspired by The Masters, like the idea of an instant splash of color.

One of the customers at the Wingards' nursery last week was Ron Stevenson, owner and pro at Coldstream Country Club.

"Azaleas are kind of synonymous with golf landscaping," said Stevenson, as he loaded a dozen azaleas in 5-gallon containers into the bed of his pickup. "You can't have enough."

Roadside business. The Wingards, who'll celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary June 5, have been selling azaleas from the corner of Pilgrim Church Road and S.C. 6, since 1974.

It was just a sideline business they ran on Saturdays and Sundays with their four daughters helping out.

"We started out raising azaleas for ourselves," said Jud Wingard, who was born in the house that's now the nursery's office. "But it got too big. We'd set them out on the road to sell."

And sell they did. After Jud Wingard retired as district manager with South Carolina Electric & Gas Co., the lifelong Lexington County couple expanded from selling azaleas only to a full time nursery.

That was in 1983, before the building boom enveloped the Lexington side of Lake Murray.

"It's been growing every year," Marge Wingard said.

The Wingards have more than 100,000 azalea plants in 100 varieties. The azalea business is so big that they have to buy some of the plants from wholesalers.

Jud Wingard said that only a third of the azaleas are old enough for sale. Another third are cuttings sprouting in plastic-covered cold frames in the back yard of the Wingards' home. The remainder are in 1- and 2-year-old plants growing in the shade of the pines around the nursery.

While showing a visitor around the grounds in a golf cart, the Wingards admit that they seldom take time away from the azaleas, unless it's to attend the annual meeting of the Azalea Society of America.

That's partly because they enjoy their business.

"We always meet nice people," Marge Wingard said.

They also don't mind offering tips to the curious about the hows, whys and whens of azaleas.

The biggest secret, Jud Wingard said, is to remember to break up the root ball when the container is peeled off.

"Just take your thumb and push through the ball," he said.

And, of course, make sure new plants get plenty of water.

Just be patient and look after your azaleas, they said. The work is minimal and the show that'll come this time of year will make the effort worth it.

"If you can raise one thing, you can raise another," Jud Wingard said.