"April, come she will ..."

Several years ago, I wrote a column rebutting T.S. Elliott's line about April being the cruelest month. After a long day of working in the yard, I sat on the deck and looked out at the newly greening lawn, the bright azalea blooms and the neat white dogwood blossoms, and I could find nothing cruel in my view, nothing to complain about. Life seemed about as good as it gets.

Now it's April again, and the azaleas glory in the sunlight filtering through the trees. The early morning sun shines in beams between the fence pickets and between the tree trunks, spotlighting the fresh, colorful blossoms. Neighbors' lawns have turned bright green, shimmering like a thick, flat emerald and highlighting the colorful blossoms all around.

After the long, ceaseless grays of winter, when we shivered against the wind and sought refuge indoors, the outdoors beckons, the colors lift our spirits, and the warmth gives us comfort. April in all its glory has quietly retaken the world from the forces of dark and gray. It is spring again, and the world stirs with hope and promise.

Get out and enjoy the colors

Take a look around, but do it quickly. Eastern North Carolina is at the peak of its spring beauty. The azaleas and dogwoods are in full flower. Enjoy them now before they're gone.

People take driving tours in December to check out the Christmas light displays. They should take a tour now to check out the dogwoods and azaleas that are in so many front yards all around town. Some of the mature azaleas are as tall as my head and are festooned with such bright colors that they dazzle the eyes. The dogwood blooms will soon fade to greenery, but now they give soft white or pink glows to the neighborhood. Better than a driving tour, take a walk, as I have done on recent days. Although today is cloudy with rain predicted, the azaleas and dogwoods still shine in the shadows, and a leisurely stroll allows time to truly enjoy the colorful blossoms against the newly greening lawns.

At this time of year, every azalea-clad town looks better than at any other time. Enjoy it while you can!

Blossoms herald arrival of spring

It's official. Spring has arrived in eastern North Carolina. Forget the calendar. I'm not referring to the Spring Equinox, which came almost two weeks ago, or to Good Friday, a traditional green light for planting flowers and vegetables, which is more than a week away. Around here, the heralds of spring are the azaleas and the dogwoods. I'm happy to report that both are proclaiming the arrival of spring.

The dogwood, North Carolina's state flower, is a beloved enhancement to any lawn or forest. The dainty tree with its colorful flowers and deep red fall colors stands out in the spring and in the autumn. What's not to love?

Azaleas, properly cared for, can produce banks of color in an extraordinary spectrum of hues from white to dark red. In every home my wife and I have ever owned (not counting that second-floor condo we lived in for a couple of years), we've had azaleas. Some were legacies from other owners, big, rounded, fully mature bushes that demanded little care. Others were scrawny new plantings we brought home and planted, never sure whether they would produce hundreds of delicate, small flowers or scores of the much bigger, older variety. In the South, a house just isn't a home without a few azaleas.

Dozens of cities across the South have azalea festivals and dogwood festivals, linking festivities to the uncertain blooming of these flowers. Golf's Masters tournament may be the tour's most popular event because of the beautiful azaleas that line the fairways in Augusta and brighten every fan's television screen.

Like other things that can never last, dogwood blooms and azalea blossoms are treasured because they are so ephemeral, producing flowers that last only a week or two (I haven't yet invested in Encore azaleas, which bloom twice a year). So this week, and maybe the next, take a stroll around the neighborhood and soak up the colors of springtime.

Poet T.S. Eliot proclaimed April "the cruelest month." He must not have had enough azaleas and dogwoods around to cheer him up.