Forcing flowering Branches Inside

Forcing flower branches is a great way to get a jump start on enjoying spring.  You can do this during the months of February and March, it is wicked easy to do. By February most shrubs have had enough cold to be ready to bloom as soon as the weather gets warm- which will happen quickly for them when you bring them inside!

Forsythia as it looks when I picked it

It is best to cut the branches on a day above freezing. Cut the stems at an angle and put them in warm water. Keep them out of direct sunlight- bright indirect light is best. It took my Forsythia about a week to start to bloom. Change the water every three days or so, re-cut them stems and use warm water again. For continuous flowers get the next batch of branches started before the first ones fade.

 The three shrubs I was successful in forcing were Forsythia, Quince and Daphne. All of these are early blooming shrubs that put their flowers out before their leaves and have small simple flowers. Larger flowers like Magnolia or flowers that come after the leaves like Crab Apple would work if they were picked with in a week or two of when they were going to bloom outside.

One week later

Just starting to bloom

10 days after cutting in full bloom

Quince the day I picked it

Close up of the quince

The Daphne, this is a native kind cultivated would be more showy

I played around with cutting branches for birch just for the green leaves but so far no luck but I have read it can take up to three weeks so I will keep watching for signs of life.

Other plants you can try are Mock Orange, Honeysuckle, Pussy Willows and Witch hazel (this one is actually already blooming outside here!) 

Enjoy!