As the nation enters the grip of winter weather there’s nothing better than the thought of spring to keep us going through these days of freezing temperatures and inevitable flurries of snow – no matter how much we thought we’d escaped it!

And although we can’t force spring to come earlier, there are ways in which we can trick ourselves into believing that the season of new growth and abundance of colour has arrived already – inside our homes at least.

Flowers are one of the harbingers of spring and there’s nothing better than a home full of blooms at this time of the year to keep our spirits up. Let’s face it – unless we’re blessed with the green-fingered wizardry of Monty Don most of our gardens look like barren wastelands. Bare trees, sparse bushes and frost bitten blooms that have seen better days.

So, if we can’t have colour in our gardens why not bring it indoors?

One of the most delightful signs of spring is the appearance of traditional seasonal blooms. Tulips and daffodils always do it for me and no matter how much I feel like rebelling against forced blooms I can’t seem to pass by a florist’s without stopping to get a few bunches of each.

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Tulips in particular are a beautiful flower and look stunning in a mixed display or in single colours on their own – and a bunch of eight flowers can look as good as a bunch of 40.

If you have a classic white and black colour scheme in your home you wouldn’t necessarily imagine that a single bunch of cream tulips could make a difference – but they definitely do. The pale cream heads combined with lush green leaves look stunning in a clear glass vase and they are a welcome sight when returning home after a cold journey.

And if you fancy something more vibrant a mixed bunch of carnival coloured tulips can really jazz up any home and almost trick you into believing it’s less than 0 degrees outside.

The sunshine yellow of a daffodil can add some real colour and warmth into your home and although they are often thought of as something of an old fashioned flower, they can look beautiful and are hard to resist.

And of course, because daffodils are one of the most inexpensive flowers on the market you can afford to buy almost an armful to liven up your interior.

Indoor bulbs are another way to add not only colour into your home but also a heady mix of invigorating scents. The main scent emitting bloom is of course the hyacinth, which looks perfect in any country cottage styled interior. Buy them when they are just coming into growth with their green leaves protruding from the deep purple bulbs and enjoy watching them grow – which they do really quickly, so it won’t be long before you have huge flowers and wonderful smells.

Put your plastic pots into a woven basket or a galvanised planter for that rustic touch which suits this variety so well.

One way you can benefit from outside blooms while staying in the comfort of your home is by investing in a window box.

The close proximity makes the flowers appear to be almost indoors yet will give your home a wonderful welcoming look as you walk up your path.

And because of the new season bulbs this isn’t a desperately hard job (i.e. I can even do it!).

Your local garden centre, DIY store and even supermarkets, sell a great range of bulbs from miniature tulips and grape hyacinths through to the flower that is the true signifier of spring – the snowdrop. Place a variety of bulbs in random patterns to give an almost wild look to your window box. Or for a clean look that is truly stunning simply lace your window box with snowdrops on their own.

Again there is something about the mix of white and green that is truly enchanting.

So, even though the world outside may seem incredibly bleak at the moment and the prospect of fields full of flowers seems unlikely, there are so many ways in which you can bring some spring colour into your life.[icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk]