I never want to let the gray days of winter to start givin’ me the blues. So I do my best to add a bit of color to my days. If you’re like me, and you’re lucky enough to have a forsythia—a glorious harbinger of spring—in your yard, then here’s how you can bring a little bit of sunshine into your home right now:

• As soon as the temps have climbed above freezing for a day or two, snip off a few branches and bring them inside. Choose branches that have the most buds, and make a clean cut, flush against the trunk of the tree so that no stub is left. This encourages quick healing with little danger of insect or disease damage.
• After gathering the branches, crush or split the lower stems a few inches from the bottom.
• Place the cuttings in a bucket of room-temperature water, and leave them in a cool place (60-65°F).
• All you have to do now is change the water once a week, and you’ll be rewarded with beautiful yellow blooms in 2 to 3 weeks.

For more great wintertime gardening ideas, check out my Year-Round Bloomers book—FREE for 21 days. You’ll get hundreds of brilliant blooming secrets for a magnificent, multi-season landscape.