Spring has officially begun, and now may be the time to consider some investments that could add a little "spring" to your portfolio.

Topping the list are companies like Lowe's (LOW) and Home Depot (HD). They stand to benefit from the nicer weather as people head outdoors to work on the garden, plant new beds, maintain the lawn, and take care of home improvements.

Everything seems to be coming up roses for investors in Scotts Miracle-Gro (SMG). And if you are interested in seeing some growth in your portfolio, now might be the time to give this lawn and garden care company a look.

Scotts has had a great week this week, even though the major market indexes have been moving lower. The company not only beat analyst expectations with earnings of $2.59 per share -- ahead of the expected $2.44 -- but also announced it is going to double its dividend and is going to be buying back its stock.

Dividends are king in this unstable market, and Scotts will now be paying investors 25 cents per share, which will be payable Sep 10, 2010 to shareholders of record as on Aug 27, 2010.

And if increasing the dividend wasn't enough, Scotts also announced a $500 million share-buyback program that will occur over the next four years.

The shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (SMG), which I first wrote about on May 20, 2009, at a price of $34.88, are spouting, and I still like SMG at this juncture. Here's why.

Look for Scotts to record 2010 revenue growth of 8% to 10%, boosted by increasing demand for consumer lawn and garden products. Professional products revenue, however, will face a tougher road, as commercial real estate managers cut landscape/outdoor maintenance costs to conform to tight budgets.

Meanwhile, margins should firm in the second half of 2010, as commodity/material costs stabilize and pricing firmness, if not pricing power, returns.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co.'s (SMG) shares have recently exhibited a seasonal pull-back, but view the dip as a buying opportunity, hence I'm reiterating my buy rating for the company, first recommended on May 20, 2009 at a price of $34.88.

In August, the company announced solid Q4 results of a 7% increase in revenue to $583.4 million.