As you look out at your yard and garden area during cold months of winter, let your thoughts run wild and you will be amazed at what images you can conjure up. You might even want to try some of your new found ideas this spring!

1. Pour through garden catalogs, flip pages and fold down corner anytime you find something you like. Go back to it often until you decide what new plants and flowers you would like to try this spring.

2. Purchase a gardening book or magazine. Look at what other people are trying in their gardens and see if their ideas inspire you to try something new.

3. Look out your windows and try to visualize how you would like your yard and garden to look like. Study sun....notice shady spots.

Chinese people value trees and flowers as much as westerners do.

Plum flowers are fragrant and beautiful. They were once national flower. On RMB50 cents coins you can see plum flowers on side.

Chrysanthemum flowers symbolizes a strong life. It is good to give old people chrysanthemum flowers because it means strong life. However, only red ones would be good because white and light yellow ones are used only at funerals. Lovers do not give chrysanthemum to their loved ones.

Narcissus, lotus flowers and orchid are flowers which represent high virtues and elegance.

Orchid blossoms in spring and it brings an air of high class respectfulness.

Narcissus blossoms in winter. White flowers of five ledals and yellow stamen grow in pure water. It represents a sense of purity.

Lotus flowers grow in pond water. Its roots are edible. Its flowers blossom in summer and are either red or white. The seeds are also edible and are often used as medicine. Almost every part of a lotus plant is useful though it grows in muddy pond water. That is also why it is compared to people who manage to achieve successfully in life though come from a less prestige background.

Azalae flowers represents elegance and wealth. You can find azalea on RMB1 coins. Peach flowers blossom in spring. It represents beautiful girls. In Chinese tradition at Chinese New Year, people who want to find love will usually buy a whole plant and put it home because this will bring them luck in finding love in coming year.

Pomegranate gives very beautiful flowers. Its fruit is sour but contains a lot of seeds inside. In Chinese tradition, people put this fruit on bed of newly weds so as to help newly weds to make many babies.