Seven Steps Closer to Spring – #5

A Reminder of Spring? You can grow that!

The stretch of days between the end of January and the growing season can seem very long. The landscape is looking bare and brown and there isn’t even the tinsel of the holidays to distract us. Fortunately, there are houseplants.

There are many plants that can be placed on windowsills, side tables and kitchen counters that will lift your heart and remind you that spring will come again. The world will once more be filled with color and growth, and in the meantime you can at least have a piece of that vitality and renewal indoors.

There are small pots of spring plants such as primrose, roses and daffodils available. These aren’t the sort of long-term, pass down to your children kind of houseplants. These are plants to use as quick color and pick-me-ups.

This is also the time when you can find other houseplants that will be with you for years, however. Clivia and the purple-leaf Oxalis, for example, are usually only available at this time of year. They will grace your house with a lovely form and flowers for many seasons to come because they are reliable and easy to grow.

So go into your local garden center (if you’re on Cape Cod, visit us!) and find some houseplants that speak to your heart. The landscape outside will awaken again…in the meantime you can have an advance preview of spring in your home.