The Plant Lady

It doesn't take much time and very little horticultural knowledge to force branches of flowering shrubs into flower at this time of year. Soon the floral shops will have them for sale and you'll be sorely tempted to purchase a few for indoors, but there's no need, you can do this yourself. There are many flowering shrubs and trees that respond to forcing, the purpose may motivate you to do a little necessary pruning. That in itself may be the best part of all, prune now, enjoy the benefits indoors.

Quince and forsythia may already show signs of flowering. The ease of coaxing them into full bloom and having their bright colors in the house will really help when outdoor temperatures still register below freezing. The simplicity of this exercise is so darn logical that you will find yourself doing it every February.

Look for potential promise with existing flower buds as you walk through your garden. Great candidates include Lonicera fragrantissima, forsythia, Spirea thunbergii 'Fujino Pink', Salix discolor or pussy willow, and Prunus mume. Stems can be cut just above the node where they meet a main branch or extend from the trunk. Look for crossed branches, those that form an x as they cross over others. These crossed branches are best removed before they develop leaves in spring, it's the perfect time to do a little editing. On forsythia, cut just above a leaf scar, preferably at an angle to camouflage the cut. Cutting low, close to the ground will also appear more natural in the scheme of pruning.

Bring the stems in and soak in cold water, submerged from top to bottom overnight. If necessary, use a bathtub for a night. Soaking them is helpful in re-hydrating the stem, I'm sure it also helps signal spring, like those soaking cool days we get in March. The next day set up your vases with room temperature water and re-cut the stems before placing them in the vase. Misting them may be helpful as the indoor environment will still be heated and humidity will be low.

Other shrubs and trees can be forced that require longer periods to bring into flower. Consider the following list of easy woody plants to force. The weeks to flowering are noted with each one:

Flowering Almond - 3 weeks
Cherry Tree - 3 weeks
Crab Apple - 4 weeks
Horse Chestnut - 5 weeks
Lilac - 4 weeks
Magnolia - 3 weeks
Red Bud - 2 weeks
Serviceberry - 4 weeks
Spireas - assorted typed will require different forcing times Usually 4-5 weeks.

A few shrubs can be forced for their catkins most notably Corylus avellina 'Contorta' or Harry Lauder's walking stick. Since this contorted shrub regularly produces straight stems, they need to be removed to keep Harry contorted. The stems can also be forced, producing long, showy catkins indoors. In the process the value of the shrub is renewed.

As you wander in the garden looking for stems to cut, look for plump buds and many to a stem. Magnolia branches are incredible indoors and many are fragrant. These branches can be forced for their catkins most notably Corylus avellina 'Contorta' or Harry Lauder's walking stick. Since this contorted shrub regularly produces straight stems, they need to be removed to keep Harry contorted. The stems can also be forced, producing long, showy catkins indoors. In the process the value of the shrub is renewed.