A bucket of water and pruning shears is all it takes to bring spring into your home in January.
Forcing branches of trees and shrubs into bloom requires only the effort needed to cut and bring them indoors. Their higher temperature takes over, encouraging the tiny buds to open in preseasonal glory.
When this happens, the branches can be arranged with a multitude of everyday materials or with a few flowers from the florist.
Since all trees and shrubs require a rather long period of dormancy before they will bloom, the forcing period decreases as you approach the blooming season of the particular plant.
For this reason, it is not practical to cut late-flowering shrubs, such as lilacs, for early indoor forcing.
Most branches require a minimum of 2 weeks to force, and many need 3 to 6 weeks.
Cutting Branches
Branches should be cut when the temperature is above freezing, and a secondary purpose of pruning can be served simultaneously if the plant’s desired shape is kept in mind.
Always make clean cuts with a sharp knife or pruning shears; remove branches that have well-formed flower buds for best results.
If you have a place to hold your branches in cold storage as florists do, you can cut a large supply at one time and force them gradually.
Few of us have cool enough conditions for this, however. I find it more satisfactory to provide a continuous supply through the season by cutting branches at two-week intervals.
Peel several inches of bark from the ends of the branches or bruise the ends of heavy stems to allow greater water absorption. Then submerge the entire branches in warm water for 24 hours. If you cut very long branches, let them soak overnight in a bathtub.
You can either make your arrangement after soaking branches or let the stems stand in a pail of water until the buds show color.
All flowering branches need light for development but never direct sun. The temperature should be around 70° degrees Fahrenheit.
Houseplant Cuttings To Force For Arrangements
Cuttings from your houseplants, a few fresh tulips or daffodils, or simple accessories will accent an arrangement of flowering branches.
Magnolia × Soulangeana
One of the finest materials for winter arrangements is the large saucer magnolia, M. soulangeana. Not only do its beautiful pink blossoms force well, but the formation of its knotted branches makes it ideal for those who enjoy making line arrangements.
Magnolia Stellata
The star magnolia, M. stellata, with both pink and white varieties, blooms earlier than the saucer type and can therefore be forced much earlier.
Its fat fuzzy buds open into fragrant starlike flowers. In our location, early spring frosts are apt to blast the blossoms, so we get more enjoyment from our tree by cutting a lavish supply of branches to force.
If you live in the country, there is much material available. Don’t overlook skunk cabbage. The first flower of spring.
Dig up a whole plant and place it in a shallow container in a warm room. Soon pale leaves will emerge, and its flowers will be apparent beneath the dark red hood.
Forsythia
Forsythia heralds spring in many localities and are probably the easiest of all shrubs to force.
At least a dozen sprays covered with their gay yellow bells bring far more cheer on a dreary January than a whole forsythia bush blooming in April. And, except where the bushes are very young, you can cut judiciously indoors and still have plenty of branches. left to provide outdoor bloom.
French Pussy Willow
Cultivated French pussy willow, with its large silvery pink catkins, is a worthwhile investment for any garden. Its colorful flowers force just as readily as those of the wild found along many country roads.
Both will root easily in water and, when spring does come, may be planted outdoors instead of discarded after forcing.
Japanese Pieris
Although the Japanese Pieris (Pieris japonica) has long been one of my favorite shrubs because of its year-round decorative qualities.
It was by accident that I discovered its use for forcing. I had cut a cluster of its glossy leaves to use as the focal point of an arrangement.
There were many tight buds among the leaves, and, to my amazement, these opened in about two weeks.
They were just as large as the graceful drooping flowers that adorned the bush every spring. Since that winter, Pieris has been rated high on my forcing list.
Both pink and white dogwood and sprays of azalea require 2 to 3 weeks to force if cut at the end of January. By that time, their buds should be well advanced.
Flowering And Oxblood Cherries
Flowering cherries and oxblood cherries are good forces and are unusually attractive. They take about 3 weeks if cut in February.
The thorny branches of Japanese quince produce red flowers at about the same time, but they are slightly less intense than those grown outdoors.
Flowering Crabs
The entire family of flowering crabs (malus) provides a spring picture that is hard to beat.
Of the wide beautiful varieties, my favorite is still Malus floribunda, which covers itself with quantities of brilliant pink buds that open into paler pink flowers.
Since the tree grows rapidly and blooms when very small, you can cut many branches to force and still not detract from the spring display outdoors.
Pink-studded branches of this tree are charming when arranged with the lovely rose-pink Princess Elizabeth tulip.
With their exquisite shell pink blooms, Apple blossoms take about four weeks to force. Crab apples, the entire plum family, and peaches require about the same time.
Many of the commonly grown shrubs will supply beautiful material for indoor use. Among these are spirea, deutzia, the fragrant honeysuckle, flowering almond, quince, and mock orange. If you have winged eponymous (Euonymus alaIlls), try cutting some of it for its lovely chartreuse leaves.
Shadblow
Shadblow, with its delicate white blossoms, is very effective indoors. You will enjoy, too, the catkins, which will develop on branches of alder, birch, and poplars.
Try forcing oaks and maples, also. And, if you have a horse chestnut tree on your property, you will delight in watching its exotic-looking leaves unfold.
First Roses Of The Season
The first roses of the season appear on the graceful Father. Hugo’s rose, Rosa hugonis. While it is not practical to cut this far ahead of its May blooming date, I always cut long sprays just as soon as I can see any sign of its tight yellow buds.
These I bring into the house and arrange in tall vases, usually with yellow or lavender tulips. The flat single yellow blooms open quickly and last much longer than when cut fully developed from the shrub.
There may be other trees or shrubs that will force those mentioned. Try whatever is available to you and enjoy the miracle of spring several months ahead.
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