Now is the Prime Time for Forced Blooming

The brilliant oranges, reds and rusts of our Morrisons Cove autumn and the blinding show of red from the Christmas poinsettias are long gone, leaving flower lovers in shades of gray.

The greens and whites of spider plants and deep tones of weeping figs help some, but imagine some organics in bright yellows or soft pink and peach shades of dogwood, honeysuckle or flowering quince gracing the kitchen counter or sofa table.

Forced blooming goes back a century or so, about the time normal gardening came into vogue. While busy lifestyles have pushed it off the priority list for many, it is coming back into style as homemaking returns as a fine art.

If you’d like to bring some branches indoors for forced blooming, now is the time to get started.

Look around to see what is handy in your own landscape and take a peek at the offerings of your generous neighbor who might be willing to share.

Forsythia is likely the most often force bloomed in this area, but make sure there isn’t some dogwood or honey suckle at the end of the driveway or behind the garden shed.

As the buds are just beginning to swell, remove nonessential branches to give the top quality ones a chance to grab the spot light.

Over the next couple weeks, using a sharp bladed short knife, cut the branches at a steep angle providing plenty of surface for the to absorb water.

Place them immediately in a water-filled container then into a spot where they can remain undisturbed for a couple weeks or up to a month and wait the for the bloom show to begin.

Remember the water. The stems will drink lots of water, especially just after the cutting. Watch the quality of the water and change often if necessary.

Not only are the brilliance of the blooms a spring joy, but the green leaves after the flowers have faded are worth the effort, according to gardening sister Ginny Williams, who has developed forced blooming into a fine art and a lot of fun.

They can go into any type of waterproof container, a fine vase, an old galvanized bucket, even Mason jars, she said.

“It’s all about what you like,” she said.

But a key often overlooked is placement of the vessels of branches.

“Keep them away from heat sources,” she said.

Depending on the weather, most people will be warming their homes another three months, the prime time for forced blooming.

Williams has taken forced blooming a step further than most of us.

With a husband who is an avid backyard orchardist, many of those branches he prunes in early spring from his fruit trees end up in water buckets around the house.

“You can use any branches, apples, plums, apricots, peaches, even Bradford Pears,”she said.

Wise selection of the branches can offer graceful angles and curves to the centerpieces.

“Just have fun with it, if it doesn’t work, throw away, no loss,” she said. “Even a little bit of maple will work.”