HOW TO FORCE BEAUTIFUL SPRING BRANCHES

HOW TO FORCE BEAUTIFUL SPRING BRANCHES- Such an easy way to bring springtime into your home!

One of the sure signs of late winter turning into early spring are the swollen buds on all the trees that will burst into beautiful bloom! But why wait until mother nature is ready when we can bring them inside and enjoy them 4 to 6 weeks earlier! Forcing branches is one of the easiest and prettiest things to do this time of year! The dainty little blooms and tender green leaves are just perfect for getting into the spring mood! Let’s force some beautiful spring branches!!!!

 

Saturday is the day I open my archives and choose a reader’s favorite post from of old! I have almost 4,000 posts in my archives and they all want to come out for a look-see! Please stop by the bottom of today’s HSS and see what my blogging buddies are sharing!

Now, look at these GORGEOUS branches!

Salmon quince branches are blooming in my dining room! I love the look of those outreaching branches just starting to show their flowers and little leaves. 

I have to admit, gorgeous quince branches are my favorite!!!!

And that pop of salmon color makes my heart beat a little faster!

HOW TO FORCE BEAUTIFUL BRANCHES- It's time to force budding branches indoors. It's easy! Here's how!

I’ve had these branches in a bucket of water in the garage, to keep them cool, for a couple of weeks. But now that they are in the dining room the warmth of the house and the light from the windows will give them the boost they need to push out even more flowers and leaves!

The first thing I did when I brought them in was to cut the branches on a diagonal. The branches were so thick I could not cut them under water so I quickly cut them with a small saw and got them immediately into the urn filled with water and a bit of cut flower preservative.

I love Flora Life cut flower preservative. You can find a link for it HERE. If you don’t have flower preservative you can use one bottle of lemon-lime soda per gallon of water.

HOW TO FORCE BEAUTIFUL BRANCHES- It's time to force budding branches indoors. It's easy! Here's how!

Now it’s time to make a few cuts going up the branch from the diagonal cut. I did not do this with mine because the branches were too thick and hard to cut with a knife. If you are forcing thinner branches this is a good idea to do.

Time to arrange your branches. They look better in a container that lets the branches spread out. The big gray urn I found at HomeGoods shows them off perfectly!

HOW TO FORCE BEAUTIFUL BRANCHES- It's time to force budding branches indoors. It's easy! Here's how!

Now all I have to do is make sure the water gets changed every couple days so it does not get stagnant.  You will have a beautiful spring arrangement for a good long time!

Here are more branches that can easily be forced:

  • forsythia
  • crab apple
  • lilac
  • bradford pears
  • cherry
  • pussy willows (no blooms but green leaves)
  • dogwood
  • witch hazel
  • wisteria
  • redbud
  • honeysuckle
  • tulip magnolia
  • dogwood

There are many other branches that will bloom in your home! If it blooms on a tree, give it a try!

HOW TO FORCE BEAUTIFUL BRANCHES- It's time to force budding branches indoors. It's easy! Here's how!

I find branches to force in my backyard, friend’s yards, and at shops like Terrain or any garden shop. Where do you find branches to force?

HOW TO FORCE BEAUTIFUL BRANCHES- It's time to force budding branches indoors. It's easy! Here's how!

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

11 Comments

  1. I was just thinking about forcing some forsythia! Now I must do it! Your post made me smile & say yes!! Do it today!! Thank you!!❤️

  2. I force forsythia every year, but will try lilacs now bc of your list of plants. Thx

  3. I love those branches! I don’t really have to force anything since I live in sunny South Florida! Even with it being very dry here lately, my plants are growing wild! I have a hard time keeping up with them! Thanks for sharing these ideas!

  4. Norma Rolader says:

    Oh my how beautiful and exciting thank you for great information and tips

  5. Great tips…I think we could all use a little early “Spring” right about now! I always force forsythia to bring in some color.

    Just wondering if you ever go the PA Flower Show in March? I have been several times and its one of the biggest and best in the US. For anyone who has never been its worth going but its gets super crowded on weekends so I would suggest going during the week.

  6. Elizabeth Davis says:

    I have a problem, really two. About 5-6 years ago I planted a gardina bush, and a lilac bush. Neither one has produced blooms. Any ideas?

    1. Oh there are so many reasons. I’d call the nursery where you got them and see if they can help you.

  7. The buds on these branches are beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing these helpful hints.

  8. Love the forced branches… definitely want to give that a try. I just had to laugh and share… it looks like you and Savvy Southern Style went shopping together; you both appear to have the same (or very similar) gray urn in your pics. As they say… great minds. 😉

  9. I can’t wait to try this. Thanks