‘Force’ Flowering Branches to Bloom Indoors

     I look at the calendar and it tells me that spring in not far away.  I can hardy wait for all the spring blooms!  But I do not want to wait so I am going to ‘force’ Mother Nature to wake up early for me.

Spring flowering trees and shrubs develop their flower buds during the fall of the previous year.  By late January, most woody plants have gone through enough cold period to break dormancy.  

Success in forcing branches to early bloom depends on the plant type, stage of dormancy, and how close to their normal flowering time they are forced. The closer to normal flowering time that forcing takes place, the greater the degree of success. 

Start by selecting and cutting 12-24 inch long branches with many flower buds. Flower buds tend to be larger, round buds whereas the smaller buds are leaf buds.  Most of the flower buds are found on the portion of the branches that grew last year.  Use sharp pruning shears to cuts the branches.  Remember to use good pruning techniques and not destroy the shape of your shrub or tree.

     After you bring the stems indoors, recut them one inch from the base and insert in water immediately.   Some ‘forcers’ submerge branches in the bathtub in warm water overnight.  Place the container of cut branches in a cool (60–65°F) corner of the house.  High temperatures near heaters and vents cause the buds to dry out and drop off.  Be sure to remove any buds and twigs that will be under water.  Change the water every few days.  Adding a floral preservative to the water can help to control bacteria and extend the useful life of the branches.

Here are a few favorites for forcing: redbud, flowering quince, flowering dogwood, parsley hawthorn, forsythia, saucer or star magnolia, crabapple, flowering almond or peach or pear, black cherry, pussy willow, spirea, Carolina jessamine, and serviceberry.

If you want to be different from everybody else, try forcing the branches of some trees such as red maple, hickory, pecan and oak. The young, developing leaves can provide a different aspect to an arrangement.  When pruning fruit trees, save a few branches of your apple, peach, pear, or plum tree for forcing indoors.

The hardest part of forcing branches is the wait for the flowers to open.  It might take one to six weeks for the blossoms to open. Branches cut later in the dormant season will open their buds faster.  But that takes away the challenge of ‘forcing’.

Never forget that it is not nice to fool with Mother Nature.  Several weeks ago I brought in some forsythia branches to ‘force.’  The branches finally began to have some open flowers…. the same time the plants in my yard began to open their buds!