Appreciating winter, while forcing spring

Spring is a little less than a month out and I am getting anxious. While I really do enjoy winters in the northeast, by the end of February I am ready to be warm. I am more than ready to see color outside. We have had snow on the ground for nearly two months. It's no longer that pretty, fluffy snow. That snow has become crusty and covered in filth kicked up by cars and snowplows. I am ready for it to melt completely and for the trees to bloom. As March gets closer, I am beginning to make plans for my gardens. I have been flipping through magazines and drawing up plans. While I was reading last month's issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I came across a couple of ideas. (If you don't subscribe to this mag, it's a great deal at $5.99 for 12 issues- it is packed with great information and not very many ads) Anyhow, one of the ideas was to make bouquets from branches that have berries on them. The other idea was to force branches to bloom inside for an early spring. I decided to try both. I have been using foliage from shrubs to compliment summer bouquets for a while, but hadn't thought to make a "winter bouquet." I really like how mine turned out. It's very simple, but appropriate. I do not have many evergreen plants in my yard. The ones I have planted over the past two years are still too young to take clippings from. My guess is that my Pacific Northwest readers have plenty of excellent shrubs in their yards to create stunning winter bouquets. Still, my bouquet is very New England and makes me happy. *PS- Pottery Barn would probably charge $20 for a similar arrangement.

Meanwhile, I clipped branches from some of my favorite flowering shrubs and trees. The article instructs you to immediately put them in a pail of water. Then, place the branches in the shower and soak them for a few minutes. Then, you wrap the branches in plastic and move the bucket to a cool and dimly lit place (mine are in our fabulously rustic basement) until the buds swell. This step can take a few days to a few weeks. Once the buds are ready to pop, you put the branches in a big vase. We shall see... I am four days into this experiment and see only a couple of buds. I will follow up in a couple of weeks to let you know how it turns out! It's a fun way to get through this transitional period of exhausting winter and welcoming spring. We are going to get out for another winter hike over the weekend. Maybe I'll find some cool branches to bring home...