Those of you living in the mid atlantic/northeast region know that good old winter is camping out for a few more weeks. But the power is in your hands to chase any wintery blues away. Yes, grab your pruners, cut some branches and be your own manipulative force of nature!
Flowering shrub forcing is so easy to do. Just stick to snipping branches from shrubs that would naturally bloom during the spring. You’ll be tricking those twigs into thinking it’s that time already…. hehehe. The easiest shrub of all to force is forsythia, but that’s just one of many shrubs which are suitable to work with. White Flower Farm, a well known Connecticut based nursery, has a fabulous article about branch forcing to get you started.
My favorite is flowering quince(Chaenomeles speciosa).
I cut some forsythia branches this afternoon, which will deliver a botanical spray of beauty to my kitchen sink area in no time. Can you spot the cute little face in the photo?
That’s my friend, Squirrel. He and his fellow comrades wipe me out(and the birds!) of bird seed on a regular basis. Their presence makes standing at the kitchen sink a whole lot of fun, though.
And take a look at this beauty, an Amaryllis my friend gave me a few weeks ago. Isn’t the color just stunning? Perfect for Valentine’s Day.
Speaking of which….. I hope yours is super sweet!