Friday, January 29, 2010

Ecolovies ~ Forcing Blooming Shrubs Indoors

This time of year is dreary for me. This year it is especially hard with all of the heartache that has been going on around our area, but it is always a dreary time of year. I often thank God for giving me a winter baby so I can keep my mind off of being dreary for just a little while, as I plan for Logan's birthday party and rejoice in how amazing my baby is. But now even that is over and it isn't yet Spring and it's just dreary!

The other day I brought in these twigs. I had cut some off of my bushes and decided I was going to see if I could make them bloom early. I had done this before with Forsythia from my last yard. It was such a joy to have these blooms a couple weeks early in my home. The rest of the year, the Forsythia is a rather bland plant... it looks much like Scotch Broom does for most of the growing season. But in the Spring, Forsythia is a wonderful blooming shrub with these hundreds upon hundreds of pretty yellow flowers on each long gawky stalk. It was my first 'forcing' experience and I have loved it ever since.

This is my first Winter in the new house, and although I knew I didn't have Forsythia, I do have Flowering Quince and Flowering Current.... they are both flowering on my table right this second, bringing a little bit of the dreary out of my days.


To force flower on your own blooming shrubs... first, you need:

~ a pair of good garden shears or scissors

~ a jar or cup of water.

~ A couple flowering shrubs. (Great canadiates for forcing blooms are Forsythia, Flowering Quince, Flowering Current, Crab Apple, Pussy Willow, and fruit trees such as Apple, Pear, or Cherry.)

Then you:

Look at the buds of the plants you want to cut... if they are starting to turn green and get 'fat' looking, then you can most likely force it indoors to bloom.

Cut each twig at an angle. This will allow the water to be more easily absorbed, and make it more likely that it will bloom for you.

Place the twigs directly into the water after cutting. You can put small rocks or glass stones in the water after cutting to make your bouquet more stable.

Bring inside and set in a sunny spot (it doesn't have to be direct sun, just sun in general.)

Wait...


In about a week, you will have the beauty of Spring right in your own home!


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7 comments

Anonymous said...

Your blog is just so lovely. Such pretty pictures. I love tuning in. Glad to see you're all feeling better too.

Unknown said...

wow! I adore this cutting idea, thanks for your instructions! a little bit of {early} spring inside!

Tracey said...

Thanks for the reminder about spring and that we can bring it into our homes.. I'm cutting some crabapple this weekend... I need some spring this very minute!

Anna said...

I would love to do this, but I have two kiddos allergic to flowering trees. Sigh. I'll just have to enjoy your pretty pictures.

Gabrielle @ i.craft said...

I love forced twigs, LOVE them! Thanks for the post on how to do it! BTW, I sent your package, I hope you love it! Courtesy of French Picnic!

French Picnic said...

French Picnic says HI!

M.E. Greene said...

What a completely awesome idea! I am going to be trying this one day. Thank you for the lovely idea. (And I'm still thinking it's so awesome that we have the same birthday!!!)

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