Forcing outdoor flowering branches into bloom is a fun, easy way to bring spring indoors.

 

Many of our favourite outdoor flowering shrubs and trees can have small branches pruned off, and brought indoors. Pussy willows are always a favourite but there are lots of other tree and shrub varieties that can be brought indoors and forced. Forsythia, Filbert, Flowering Crab and Plum, Service Berry, Spirea, Viburnum, Honeysuckle, Lilac and even fruit trees can be used. Almost any deciduous branch will work if it blooms!

 

Go outdoors in the afternoon when temperatures are above freezing, as this is the best time to cut the branches. Choose branches that are least 30 cm in length or longer as these will give the best visual impact. Choose branches that have lots of swollen buds. The flower buds tend to be larger and rounder than the leaf buds. If you are not sure, you can always pick a bud off and open it to see if you can see the developing flower inside.

 

When you are cutting the branches off, use a sharp pair of pruners. Prune the branches off just as you would if you were pruning. Cut the branch off on an angle just above a side bud or branch, so that there is no remaining stub left. You don’t want to ruin the shape of a tree or shrub when collecting the branches, so only remove a few. Place the cut branches in water as soon as they have been cut.

 

When you bring the branches indoors remove any buds or twigs from the bottom 15-20 cm of the branch as you don’t want these to be submerged under the water when in the vase.To allow the branch to take in as much water as possible the bottom end of the branch should be either slit a few times or be placed on a hard surface and gently banged with a hammer, which increases the surface to take in water.

 

The next step would be to lay the branches in a tub of lukewarm water so that they can soak for a few hours or over night. This allows the buds to soak up the water. Another option would be is to leave the branches in a water filled vase and mist them once in a while or wrap the branches with moistened newspaper or plastic wrap.

For the best results you want the buds to open up slowly, so there has to be a transition time. Place the branches standing up in a water filled vase or bucket and place them in an area of the home where the temperatures are cooler and not a lot of light. A cool basement or garage should work well. Check on them every few days and change the water when it becomes discoloured. It will depend on the time of year and the type of plant as to how long it will take for the branches to open up.

 

The closer to the natural time for the plant to break out in the outdoors, the sooner it will take to be forced open. When the buds begin to open the branches are ready to be placed on display in the home.

 

When on display the branches will continue to open and bloom for 1-2 weeks, depending on the variety. For continuous bloom, choose several different varieties that will open up at different times.

 

Forcing branches to bloom indoors is an easy, fun and inexpensive way to add spring colour to the home. Go out for a walk this afternoon with the pruners, and bring a few branches indoors. It should not take too long for the buds to open because spring is just around the corner.

 

Note: It is still too early to prune deciduous trees and shrubs. Perhaps it can be done in the next few weeks depending on the weather.