Photo by: Plant Life Designs at Plant Life Designs
Speed up spring by bringing flowering branches indoors!
Quince, forsythia, cherry, almond, crabapple, redbud, magnolia and pussy willow are all excellent plants for forcing branches indoors.
Follow these six easy steps!
- Choose a day above freezing to cut the branches as this helps with the transition from outside to inside.
- Select branches with plenty of buds, and preferably buds that are starting to open. Be sure to also select branches that are not critical to the overall appearance of the shrub.
- Cut branches at a diagonal and crush the end of the branch with a hammer to help with the uptake of water.
- Place branches in a vase with warm water.
- Keep branches in a sunny, cool spot . Be sure to avoid radiator heat. Keep the water healthy by changing it every few days.
- Blooms will appear in 2-4 weeks depending on the shrub variety. Quince typically take 3-4 weeks, whereas forsythia will only take 1 week!