While winter continues to hang around here in Maine, I am determined to forge ahead with spring! The months of March and April can be trying times for folks like me who are ready to start gardening and growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
My solution? Infuse my home with the air of spring, making things feel lighter and breezier, even if it’s snowy or – more likely – muddy outside.
Today I’m sharing eight mood-enhancing tricks for lifting the veil of winter to reveal the beauty of spring.
1. Spring Wreaths
If you read my blog at all, you know I’m a sucker for a wreath. They are SO easy to use and can have a dramatic impact on the inside and outside of a home.
This year, I’m hanging some beautiful, soft yellow forsythia wreaths inside and outside. The color really pops, especially on our red front door, and this early harbinger of spring sets an uplifting tone. Farewell, wintertime, we love you, but we’re ready for flowers!
2. Tulips and Daffodils
What’s more classic during the start to warmer weather than stunning tulips and daffodils? You can add crocuses to the mix, too. Widely available at local grocery stores, home improvement and garden centers, a potted plant or cut bouquet may be all you need to usher in the season.
3. Seed Starting
If you’re lucky enough to live in a climate where outdoor planting has already started, good for you! If you’re not (like me), try starting seeds indoors. This is both fun and productive. You get the benefit of gardening, albeit limited, and once temperatures warm up, you have plants with a head start, ready to go into the ground.
Be sure to harden off any starters before plunking them in the dirt, or they may not survive. And be sure all chance of frost has passed for your area, too.
4. Garden Cleanup
During the warmish days of early spring, I like to get outside and do general garden cleanup. This prepares the way for the more interesting work of planting vegetables, herbs, and flowers once that time comes.
In our area, these chores involve cleanup of downed branches and twigs, cutting back garden debris left up during the winter, like purple coneflowers and sedum, and removing any fallen leaves I missed during the fall season.
Having your outdoor areas ready to go makes the planting season even more enjoyable.
5. Spring Cleaning
Nothing breathes life into a house like a good spring cleaning. This may not be everyone’s favorite activity, but the results are more than worth the effort!
Now is the time to wash windows (start with the insides if it’s too cold to do the outsides), doors, under beds and couches, and other frequently-overlooked areas of the house. Having a clean slate is good for the mind, body, and soul!
6. Flowering Branches
A popular trick for gardeners is to force spring-flowering branches to bloom indoors. Or you can opt to place faux branches in vases for a similar effect (and a good choice for areas of the house that don’t get the sun needed for forcing).
The graceful arc and delicate flowers of forsythias make them a natural choice for indoor decor. Other beautiful options include dogwood, lilac, and flowering crabapple branches. Make one grouping a focal point or add several in vases throughout the house.
Either way, if you’re using live branches, be sure to cut them at the right time and the right way to ensure blooming.
7. Pillows and Linens
During the colder months, many people add warm, cozy fabrics to their homes. The look and feel is wonderful, but when things begin warming up, it’s time to store the nubby woolens in favor of lighter choices.
If you have accent pillows on your sofas and chairs, consider using a pillow cover in cotton or linen. I love the ones I purchased for fall in a dark gray chenille, but I’m thinking cotton for spring and summer.
The same goes for blanket throws. Again, cotton and cotton blends work beautifully this time of year. Consider lighter colors, too, to keep things bright.
Your bedroom may also benefit from a refresher. Time to wash and store heavier duvets, flannel sheets, and the like.
8. Fresh Flowers
Playing off of the tulips and daffodils mentioned above, creating even a simple arrangement of fresh flowers can really make a difference in the home.
Next time you’re at the grocery store, check out the bouquets of fresh flowers. What you create doesn’t need to be fancy and it doesn’t require tons of skill. A bunch of tulips in a glass jar may be all that it takes to send a message that your home is spring ready.