As winter hits with snow storms and cold, and all color seems drab and dreary, color becomes all-the-more-important in maintaining our perspective on our place in the world.

Sometimes we can't remember what the other seasons are like due to the severity of the one we're currently in, yet they all balance out.

Stop by our greenhouses for an eye-and- noseful over this winter; we've got lots of color and scents galore to perk up your dreary winter days.

Forced Narcissus (paperwhites) and Hyacinths can be had all winter long if you put them in some in dishes in a cool, dark place; then simply bring them into a warm room and they bloom (call us for exact forcing instructions). Then throw them into the compost bin afterwards; they'll make great compost in the spring, since they won't re-bloom. Likewise for tulips that are forced, they're spent and also make good compost material.

Amaryllis, on the other hand, live gracefully for many years and get better with each passing year. To cause blooming, keep in a dark cellar, water and fertilize, then bring into a warm room. After blooming, allow the leaves to stay and ripen off, cut off the flower stalks, summer over outside in direct sun, water and fertilize and start the simple procedure all over again. So easy. And so worth it during the winter when color and fragrance is at a premium.