GET GROWING

Don’t think you have to wait for the frosts to pass to get planting. That was the overwhelming suggestion from our experts. Just start an herb garden inside, for example. “Hang pots on the wall and use chalkboard paint to label the herbs,” suggests Ann-Marie Goddard from Exodus. “It will smell great, it’s convenient while cooking, and it’s a practical but attractive look for spring.” Landscape designer Sophath Toun of SOTO Design and Plant Shop doesn’t wait for the warmest temps, either, to fill pots with perennials like tulips, daffodils, and grape hyacinths. Keep them inside and move them out when spring has sprung. If you want an endless supply of fresh flowers every week, Maureen Lawton suggests planting a cutting garden with cosmos, zinnia, gladiola, daisies, and snapdragons. These easy-to-grow varieties “will give you inside floral arrangement bounty all season long,” she says. If you don’t have a green thumb, visit your nearby garden center, like The Farmer’s Daughter, for inspiration and goods.