Bring Spring Inside!

These are lenten roses (hellebores) from my (Betsy's) yard. We are blessed to have an abundance of flowers to cut all spring and summer, but the spring is particularly nice. We're even on a driving trail that meanders through our fair city and showcases lovely yards. Our neighborhood tends to be more rustic in appearance than others, but its true beauty is the richness of native plants (such as the lenten roses pictured).

I would encourage you to take every opportunity during the next few weeks to bring some of that spring beauty around you inside your house. You may think no one else will notice or appreciate it, but they will. Even if your children or husband can't pinpoint what's different, the air will feel fresher, spring will seem more real and present, and a spot of beauty will brighten their days.

You may have to buy something to have a centerpiece or vase full of flowers; it is money well spent. Consider buying a basket or pot with flowers growing in it that you can eventually plan in your yard instead of cut flowers. Even sprigs of blooming trees, budding forsythia, or delicate new green growth on a shrub can have an effect. Be creative and take those kitchen shears outside!