You don't have to wait for May (or your husband) to deliver you flowers. Get your blooms by snipping branches from your favorite tree or shrub and then forcing them to blossom indoors.

Cut branches off any flowering tree or shrub, such as quince (shown here), apple, crabapple, dogwood, forsythia, hawthorn, honeysuckle, magnolia, or redbud.

Use pruning shears to make a one-to three-inch vertical slit from the bottom of each branch, then arrange the branches in a deep vase filled with warm water and a drop of bleach.

Change the water every few days. The branches will bloom within one to four weeks, depending on the type of plant and how far along it was in its growth cycle.