Bring Spring color indoors now!

Forcing winter branches into color

The holidays are over, but your home doesn't have to look any less cheerful. Force branches of plants like forsythias, lilac, witch hazel, cherries, etc. for winter color and fragrance.

Forcing or coaxing is really persuading the branches into believing that their time to bloom has finally arrived. You can coax many types of flowering shrubs and trees - but timing is everything. First, the plant needs to be out of the dormant phase, you will see the flower buds a bit swollen. Second, the closer the ornamental is to it's real blooming time, the less time you have to wait for forced blooms.

Remember: mimic springtime. Warmth is important, but not too fast or the flowers will get stunted and the colors faint.

Se us for a list of local favorites easy to force...