HARBINGERS OF SPRING

Signs of spring are always welcome around here, and although there are earlier indicators, my favorite is the row of trees along the edge of the lawn on our north side. Originally formed of widely spaced dogwoods, the composition now alternates white or red dogwoods with flowering crabapple. The neat thing to me is that I raised these trees from tiny 2" or 3" shoots for several years before planting them in the row. The blossoms tend to peak about a week apart, but this year with warm weather somewhat delayed, the whole row is at prime all at once.

There are a host of other blooms in various colors, but I've chosen to feature the white flowers because they seem to stand out so strongly against the multitude of new greens, especially against the bright hues of the newly-fed lawn. Dogwood and lilac are popular and these draw much comment from visitors. Enjoy!