Forcing Spring branches In Your Home
Are you ready for spring? Why not bring spring indoors by forcing flower branches around your home or at your local greenhouse. It’s so easy and beautiful. I’ll show you how…
Forcing spring branches is one of my favorite things to do! One of the sure signs of late winter turning into spring is the swollen buds on the trees that will burst into beautiful bloom soon. Why wait for Mother Nature, force them yourselves, and enjoy them weeks earlier. Here’s how…
With just a bit of know-how, sleepy branches bud and produce beautiful spring flowers to brighten up my home and remind me of just how beautiful the new season will be!
The dainty little blooms and tender green leaves are just perfect for getting into the spring mood! Let’s force some beautiful spring branches!!!!
Forcing spring branches is one of the easiest spring things you will do!
Salmon quince branches are blooming in my home right now! I love the look of those outreaching branches just starting to show their flowers and little leaves.
And that pop of salmon color makes my heart beat a little faster!
FORCING BRANCHES, THINGS TO KNOW
I’ve had these branches in a bucket of water in the garage until I was ready for them to start blooming. But now that they are inside the warmth of the house and the light from the windows will give them the boost they need to push out even more flowers and leaves!
The first thing I did when I brought the quince branches into the house was to cut the branches on a diagonal.
The branches were so thick I could not cut them underwater so I quickly cut them with a small saw and got them immediately into the urn filled with water and a bit of cut flower preservative. I love Flora Life cut flower preservatives.
If you don’t have flower preservatives you can use one bottle of lemon-lime soda per gallon of water.
HOW TO CUT THE STEM
Now it’s time to make a few cuts going up the branch from the diagonal cut. I did not do this with mine because the branches were too thick and hard to cut with a knife. If you are forcing thinner branches this is a good idea to do.
ARRANGING
Time to arrange your branches. They look better in a container that lets the branches spread out. I used a big gray urn I found at HomeGoods.
Now all I have to do is make sure the water gets changed every couple of days so it does not get stagnant.
OTHER SPRING BRANCHES YOU CAN FORCE
Here are more branches that can easily be forced:
- forsythia
- crab apple
- lilac
- Bradford pears
- cherry
- pussy willows (no blooms but green leaves)
- dogwood
- witch hazel
- wisteria
- redbud
- honeysuckle
- tulip magnolia
- dogwood
There are many other branches that will bloom in your home! If it blooms on a tree, give it a try!
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Need ideas to add a bit of new life and spring beauty to your home. Spring is such a beautiful season here are some decorating ideas you can use in your home.
I haven’t done this in years and am now inspired to cut some branches to force. Mama and I used to do this together when I was a teen.
Hi Paula, what a sweet memory! I’m so addicted to their beauty!
Maybe I missed it, but I don’t see anything about when to cut the branches to bring in. I live in central Virginia and have forsythia and dogwood available.
Now is the time to cut branches. Just check if they have any little buds on their branches.
Bring your branches in right now!
Brought in some pussy willow yesterday. We don’t have snow to walk through but we do have mud after all our rain. Need to check our peach trees .They are so lovely for oriental arrangements when forced. Thanks for reminding me it is time.
Peach branches and blooms are lovely! As I’m writhing this it is snowing. I get the best of both seasons with my blooming branches.
Love bringing inside clippings from fruit frees, ornamental trees/bushes & grape vines too. This is an annual event we do between Jan & Feb.
Arrange clippings in luke warm water (change out water 1 or 2 times per month), within 3 weeks (or sooner) you’ll notice pretty blossoms/leafing.
Grape vines are stored in our second refrigerator, which they are wrapped in wet newspaper/paper towels (not drenched just wet), the vines with wet paper wrapped around vines, are placed in a large plastic bag then placed in fridge for about 3 months. After 60 days we check for roots then leave in fridge another 30 days or till it’s time to transplant in April/May. Discard any vines that didn’t root. (90-95% will root.)
Plant clippings gives more produce & beauty on the farm & landscape, & saves us from purchasing plants from nursery plus your new plant clippings become acclimated to your earth/region & last a good 20-40 years (pending on variety).
Annual clippings here at the farm are:
Dogwood Ornamental
Wisteria Ornamental
Olive Tree
Yellow Foresythia Ornamental
Magnolia Ornamental
Red Bud Tree
Golden Leaf Tree
Lylic Ornamental
Cherry Tree
Apple Tree
Pear Tree
Peach Tree
Nectarine Tree
Cranberry Bush
Flowering Crab Apple Ornamental
Flowering Cherry Ornamental
Japanese Maple Ornamental
Variety of Herbs
Wow, what great tips! Thanks, Rachel!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea. Fun project to try with the grandkids.
We are ready to start pruning the apple trees in my friends orchard…. I think I will try forcing some along with my forsythia and dogwood!
You will love the blooms!
I sure need this now. Thankyou for the idea. Have all the shrubs outside.
Oh, how wonderful! I have lilacs in the back of our home and will give them a try this year.
Oh my, what a perfect idea. I love it! Will be doing this to bring in tge spring-time into our home.