Hey, everyone! Today I’m sharing how I bring some Spring life to my home by forcing branches.
I don’t know how things look in your neck of the woods in March, but here in northern Ohio things are pretty dreary. Gloomy. Damp. Often still cold and snowy. Ugh. One of the things I do to brighten up our interior and make it feel a little closer to warm and sunshiny days is force branches from my yard. I’ve done this for a couple of years now with different types of branches and great success. Its super easy and fun!
What is “forcing branches”?
All “forcing branches” means is that you cut some branches, bring them inside, and trick them into thinking its Spring with your warm indoor air. The blossoms open early, and you can enjoy them months before you’ll see any outside.
When can branches be forced into blossom?
Late Winter-early Spring is when branches are ready to be forced. Where I live, that’s from around late February to April. If you take a look at your flowering trees and shrubs, you’ll notice that the buds start to swell in late Winter. When that happens, they’re ready to be cut!
What types of branches can be forced?
You can force branches from most types of flowering trees to blossom indoors. These include:
- Apple
- Cherry
- Dogwood
- Forsythia
- Lilac
- Magnolia
- Redbud
- Pear
- Peach
- Willow
- And more!
- We have quite a few of these in our yard, and I have successfully forced apple, pear, cherry, peach, and forsythia to bloom in my home. If you know know that your tree or shrub flowers, but not what kind it is, just try it out!
How do I force branches?
Today I’ll show you the process as I bring in some branches from our yard. You’ll need:
- Flowering trees or shrubs
- Pruners
- Gardening gloves (optional)
- Large vase or other suitable vessel
First, find your mature flowering tree or shrub and double-check that the buds are swelling. They should look something like this:
You can choose whichever branches you like to cut, but you may want to consider:
- The shape of the branch and how it will sit in a vase (straighter is usually better, but sometimes curves are fun for whimsy)
- How removing the branch(es) will effect the shape of the plant. Don’t worry about this too much, though; it will grow back!
Today I’m cutting a few branches because I want to use them in different places. When you cut, be sure to do it at a 45 degree angle. Cutting at this angle ensures that water will run off the cut and not cause the remaining branch to rot.
Bring your branches inside and trim if necessary, making sure to remove any side branches that will be under the water line in your vase because those will mold, get smelly, and cause your flowers to die more quickly. Then, stick in a vase with water. I like the wild and natural look, so I’m pretty haphazard when I make my “arrangements”.
It typically takes my blossoms about 1-3 weeks to open depending on how mature/swollen the buds are when I cut them. In the meantime, I enjoy the slightly-crazy-looking branches- and the looks my family give me when they think I’ve brought dead tree branches in the house to decorate…again.
Have fun with this one! It’s so much easier than you might think and can bring lots of color and life to those sometimes gloomy Spring days!
