Last year I had a Valentine's Day party with garden friends and asked everyone to bring some catalogs or a favorite book to share. It was a hit. We laughed and had great conversations as we compared stories and experiences — plants that had bombed, problems with this or that, successes, favorite colors and varieties of tomatoes or zinnias. As you know, gardeners love to share, and colorful catalogs were strewn all across the table by the end. Here are some more ways to indulge your passion and beat the winter blues.

More regional garden guides Paintbox Garden Fill your rooms with fragrance. It's true: Aromatherapy does help soothe away stress and make you feel better. It's not too late to grow paperwhite narcissus — it's supereasy in addition to being fragrant. Look for it at garden centers and pick up a bag of polished stones at a crafts store to grow them with.

Keep bulbs in a cool, ventilated area and pot them up every few weeks for nonstop blooms. Paintbox Garden To grow paperwhites with stones, anything will do. It's fun to use interesting vessels, like this ice bucket, which displays the impressive root growth around the supporting stones.

The water should come just to the base of the bulbs. In about two to three weeks, they'll bloom and fill your home with a fresh, sweet scent. Hyacinth bulbs can also be easily grown in water. Paintbox Garden Visit a greenhouse. A trip to a garden center or tropical conservatory this month is a must. One of my favorite scented plants, white (or pink) jasmine (Jasminum polyanthum), has a fragrance that transports you to the jungle — absolutely heavenly.

An evergreen vine native to China, jasmine makes a good houseplant for a sunroom; give it indirect light and cool temperatures (around 60 degrees Fahrenheit) for optimal flowering. Paintbox Garden Drench your home with color. Hothouse plants, like this lush orchid, surprise the senses — it's impossible not to feel energized by the visual punch of these voluptuous tones, the intricate variations of color and the curvaceous petals that catch the eye.

Grab some orchids and place them around your house. They're dignified enough for the dining room and also perfect for a steamy bath. Paintbox Garden Relax by a fountain. It's no surprise that the earliest gardens of Persia were courtyards surrounding pools. The sound of running water cascading through leafy plants is intensely therapeutic on a bitter-cold day. While you're enjoying the fountain, examine the displays. It's amazing how easy it is to make a water feature with all the container options available. Paintbox Garden Water therapy is good for the spirit, too. We need to build up energy for the garden work that lies ahead (let's not think about that right now), and taking a few minutes to sit and enjoy an indoor garden conservatory is one of the nicest things you can do at this time of year. Bring a small notebook and make some plans for the coming season, throw some pennies into a pool and make a wish. Paintbox Garden Enjoy winter beauty. Branches, bark and berries contrast with evergreens to give winter gardens visual punch. One of the very best plants to grow for wildlife and winter color is winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata), a U.S. native that is greatly valued in the home landscape for its red berries. Paintbox Garden For Northeast gardeners, winterberry holly is a versatile shrub to know and use, as it's adaptable to varying soil conditions and easy to grow in full sun. Plant some in a mass to get the full effect of its persistent fruits, which stand out in winter snow and are favored by birds. The plants are dioecious, which means you'll need a male plant to pollinate the females and assure good fruit set. The cultivar 'Sparkleberry' makes a great wildlife screen in a naturalistic setting. Paintbox Garden Update your patio furniture. New seat cushions or pillows in bright colors can transform outdoor furniture that's weathered from years of use. Take a look at what's available locally and check online for options in bold stripes, solids or patterns. You can get a new look for a patio or porch without spending a lot. Paintbox Garden Midwinter inventory sales are in full swing, which means deals on all sorts of things. I found these fabulous rockers discounted at my local garden center on a recent trip. Love the blue. Paintbox Garden Get organized. With our gardens lying dormant under blankets of snow (it was below zero here today), take advantage of the downtime to get your gear organized. Gardening is a messy business, and our footwear takes a beating. Maybe it's time to get a pair of colorful new clogs? Paintbox Garden I love these tubs. They hold tools and garden gloves, and are great for yard cleanup when you're working in a small area. Everyone has stuff to haul and store, and these tubs are tough and versatile. And did I mention they also make good ice buckets for garden parties?

More regional garden guides