May The Forcing Be With You

It's the middle of winter here at Casa Charlotte and things are looking a little gloomy. So far we've been lucky enough to escape with minimal snow and we've had plenty of days with temperatures balmy enough to make you think that you're anywhere but the normally frigid Northeast. However, the landscape is still brown and the garden is still sleeping peacefully as it awaits Spring. If this describes your habitat, you might be itching to inject a little color into your life while you're waiting for warmer days. The opportunity to do this probably lies right outside your door with the deciduous trees and shrubs that adorn your yard. By cutting branches and bringing them into the house, you can enjoy spring a few months ahead of time and color your world at the same time.

Although the process is called forcing, it should probably be known as "tricking", because you're essentially fooling the plant into thinking spring has sprung and it's time to flower. And the plants are remarkably gullible and easy to trick. All you have to do is wait until after the trees/shrubs have had a chill out period i.e., 8 weeks of temperatures below 40 degrees (late January-February) and they're ready to go. What kind of plants can you force/trick? Many! Forsythia, Dogwood, Apple, Crabapple, Quince, Lilac, Pussy Willows, Witch Hazel, Azalea, and Viburnum are but some of the candidates. If you don't have what you're looking for , ask a friend if you can steal some branches from her yard (and cut some for her while you're at it.)

Lest you think you'll need to stock up on special equipment, here's a list of the technical stuff you'll need to put one over on your branches: clippers, vase, water, bright place to put vase, patience, cup of tea (optional). The actual cutting is pretty simple. When cutting branches, look for those that have an abundance of flower buds vs. leaf buds. Flower buds are usually fatter. The University of Illinois recommends splitting the cut ends by 1-4 inches and then cutting those ends again after you submerge them in warm water to encourage their ability to take up moisture (you can read their short and to- the- point guide at http://urbanext.illinois.edu/forcing/). This is good advice and I recommend it. However, if you're as lazy as I am this time of year, you can just cut some branches, stick them in a vase of cold water, and then go make some nachos or hot chocolate. My forsythia branches respond reliably to this quick and dirty method with flowers in 1-6 weeks, depending on when I cut them.

Caveats: Be selective when you cut your branches and take the ultimate shape of your specimen into consideration. You may pay for over-zealous cutting in the Spring with a shrub/tree that looks like Edward Scissorhands pruned it blindfolded. If you're the artistic type, you can consider the vase you're using and the look you want to achieve by selecting straight, curving, or otherwise interesting branches.

The earlier in the season you take the branches, the longer you'll have to wait for blooms. I happen to like the look of bare branches in a vase, so this is no problem for me. But if you're not the patient type or you find no beauty in brown twigs, then gather your branches later in February.

Direct sunlight isn't the best location for the blooms. I keep mine bright, but out of the rays.

You can find more information on the Internet and elsewhere for babying the branches before flowering to encourage a good show and this may be worthwhile for forcing tree branches, which have a reputation for being more difficult. If you're looking for a winter project, go for it.

For myself, I prefer to stick to the easy shrubs and eat nachos while I gaze at their beauty.

Charlotte