When I hear the word “dogwood” I am immediately transported back to a time in my life when I was living on the east coast in Virginia serving my country as a trumpet player in the 392nd Army Band. If you have ever lived in that part of the country, then you probably have noticed the similarities between our state and Virginia.

One of the things that always gets me all twitterpated this time of year is “new growth” - it is so clean and incredibly vibrant.

Even if you are a casual gardener, you should really spend some time looking closely at your plants as the new foliage unfolds for the season. It is a sight to behold.

As houses continue to get larger and yards smaller, it is becoming more and more challenging to find the space to plant everything that we would love to have in our gardens.

It can become a real design challenge to maximize the space we have to work with.

April is a tortuous month for me. While it is clear that spring has arrived in the garden, the weather still feels like winter with only an occasional sunny day here and there to try and cram in all the chores that need to be done.

The world has changed from when I was a child. Today, it seems like we are obsessed with cleanliness. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty. Nitrile gloves and hand sanitizers are standard fare everywhere you go. God forbid that we might come into contact with “germs.”

One of the many signs of spring, besides the annoying ritual of “springing ahead” with our clocks, is the return of flocks of American robins. While I saw a couple of pairs back in February, it was just this week that I observed multiple numbers of them in my garden.

Considering that it is still pretty darn cold out there, I thought it might be interesting to digress a bit and talk about how some plants go through the “change of life” as they grow up into adult plants. Here goes nothing!