‘Forcing’ your way towards Spring

Would you like Spring to bloom early in your house? Maybe in the kitchen, living room, or even the bedroom? Have you ever tried ‘forcing’? It is the practice of cutting some branches or stems from woody spring-flowering plants and putting those branches into water in a warm environment. Though it is a horticultural term long in use, ‘forcing’ sounds a bit too harsh or aggressive, and maybe even a little misleading. Coaxing, cajoling, and encouraging seem like more appropriate terms. Seduction is another word that comes to mind. After all, you can’t hold a gun to the head of flower bud and make it blossom, or bully it into flowering. What you can do, to be pop-psych correct, is ‘enable’ your shrubs to reach their ‘potential’ earlier by providing a ‘caring and loving environment’. Give them water, warmth, and attention and the cuttings of many common, and some not-so-common shrubs, will bloom inside weeks earlier than they would outside.

Encouraging plants to flower early inside is ridiculously easy as well as simple. It requires very little equipment and none of it is specialized. All you need are pruning shears and some appropriately-sized vases or other containers that hold water. Most shrub cuttings when brought inside and placed with their cut ends in water will respond quickly. Within a few days there will be noticeable swelling of their buds, both leaf and flower buds. In some instances the flowers the will open before the leaves do and in other cases the reverse will happen.

FORSYTHIA

Some shrubs are more amenable to coaxing than others. Forsythias are the easiest, least fussy and most reliable plants to bring into early bloom. As spring nears, the stems of the forsythia turn a slight but distinct yellow; it’s a harbinger of their readily recognizable golden flowers perhaps. They actually seem to welcome being asked to come inside.

You can cut their stems or branches to any length you want. I tend to cut forsythia branches to a length of at least 24 inches and often to as much as 36 inches. When cutting the branches be sure to leave the growing end intact. Bear in mind that the branches of most varieties of forsythia tend to ‘weep’; and the longer the stem, the more pronounced the droop. The shape and size of the container for your cuttings is important. Your vase or container should be tall enough to contain the forsythia stems, but wide enough at the mouth to let the stems display their natural cascading form. Because of the weight of the stem pulling down you will need a hefty and heavy vase to keep your display of cuttings from tipping over. Of course you can add glass marbles or even rounded river pebbles to the vase to give it extra weight at the base. I have a pair of thick, cut-glass vases that are about 15 inches in height. Because of their heft I don’t have to put in extra weight, but I often do so anyway just because I am fond of the color of the marbles.

Fill your container with water to within an inch or so of the top and put in your freshly cut stems, cut end first. Within probably no more than ten days to two weeks you will have a sunny display of bright yellow flowers strung along every stem. Note: if you leave the stems of the forsythia in water for three weeks or so after the flowers have passed, you will begin to see new small white roots beginning to sprout out of the stems. You can plant these sprouting stems into the ground if you want to enlarge your crop of forsythia or start a fresh new hedge.

CRAB APPLES (or any apple for that matter)



Apples are another early spring woody plant that is easy to coax into early flowering. There are always some branches that can be cut for forcing. Just don’t get so enthusiastic about cutting apple branches that you leave your plants looking shorn or mowed. Unlike the slender and single stem wand-like form of the forsythia, Crabapples and other apples are stiff and angular; they have multiple branching on a single stem. You probably keep your cuttings to no more than 24 inches. For holding and displaying these cuttings you will need a more bowl-shaped container; it should have relatively high sides with a wide mouth but one that closes over slightly so the branches are held upright and slightly spread without being crowded. Apples will generally take three to four weeks to start pushing out leaves and blossoms. The two may come somewhat simultaneously. As apples also tend to flower more heavily in alternate years, it is difficult to predict how generous your display will be. But even if its mostly leaves, they’re still a refreshing and welcome boost in the grey times of winter.

DOGWOOD



The common White or Pink Dogwood (Cornus florida) can be pushed into early flowering, but it is not a reliable bloomer, at least in my experience. I have had great luck, however, with the early, yellow-blooming dogwoods, Cornus mas, aka Cornelian Cherry, and Cornus officinalis, aka the Japanese Cornel Cherry. Both of these hardy and beautiful small trees are much less common that they deserve to be. The Japanese Cornel Cherry flowers a few days to a couple of weeks earlier than Cornus mas. It is a handsome plant at any time of year, but in the spring it is outstanding. Small, luminous yellow flowers cover its branches and persist for almost a month. Though rather tiny in size there are generally so many of them that from a distance the entire tree seems to glow. The flowers of Cornus mas are similar but their overall effect is less striking because the plant itself is less graceful. But whichever you use, their branches practically burst into yellow vibrancy when they are brought inside for forcing. Usually it takes no more than a week. The branches of the dogwoods should be displayed in a similar fashion to that of the crabapples.

VIBURNUM CARLESI



The Viburnum family is one of the largest, most diverse, and useful of all landscape shrubs. But one plant in particular is, I think, a must for every garden: Viburnum carlesi., AKA the Korean Spice Bush. Among its other virtues, the plant itself is stalwart, sturdy and reliable. But what it is most valued is its delicious fragrance, lush and reminiscent of gardenias.

Though the Spice Bush blooms in May, after a few days of consistently warm and sunny weather, you can usually coax it into an early flowering. I generally wait until late February or early March to clip off a dozen or so small branches that display the knobby little buds clustered together like a tiny fist. Cut the stems to no more than eight inches or so. (Again, don’t mow your plant or denude it so much that there will be no flowers for later when it supposed to flower.) Divide these stems into two or three groups, put them into small vases no more than four inches high and distribute them around the house; add water and then wait, for a few weeks. Viburnums can’t be rushed, nor are they quite as reliable as the other plants discussed above, but generally patience and diligence is rewarded. There will come a morning you will be pulled from your sleep by a rush of rich, sweet perfume that fills every corner of the house. When you track down the source you will discover it is spilling from the golf-ball sized clusters of pink/white flowers blooming in all those tiny vases you have spread around the house. You may even be moved to offer up a prayer of wonder.

You don’t need a green thumb in order to encourage many plants to deliver their floral and fragrant bounty early. So get out those pruning shears, gather together some vases, add water to your cuttings and practice a little patient attention. It’s an easy and rewarding way to bring natural color and surprising fragrance into your house. Try it once and you may discover that it becomes an annual pre-spring ritual. Enjoy!


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