If the winter blues have you down and you miss being out in your garden, take heart with flowers. According to the American Society of Florists and Rutgers University, Flowers=Happiness. Flowers have both an immediate and a long term effect on moods. So if you want to brighten someone's day, even your own, pick up a bouquet of flowers.
Before you shop for blooms, take the Floral Match test to find out if your floral signature is Natural, Romantic, Contemporary, Expressive or Traditional. Then feel free to engage in some Flower Therapy. Did you know that the color orange can strengthen your immune system and also has a strong beneficial effect on the digestive system, not to mention your sex drive? Running low on energy during the short winter days? Try a bouquet of red carnations. The color red has been shown to stimulate the adrenal glands which boosts energy.
If you need inspiration about arranging your blooms, Flower Possibilities can help you out with Flower Recipes, flower arrangement instructions broken down into simple steps, like a recipe. For January they suggest filling a football helmet or even an old football itself, with flowers in your favorite teams colors.
There's no reason the gardener can't make it through the dark days of winter just fine, with a little boost from cut flowers. Place some near the windows you frequent most often and you'll almost believe it's spring.
