Bring a touch of springtime indoors. Force Forsythia! It's harder to say than it is to do. It's an easy and fun project with Spring-y, Sunshine-y results! What more can you ask for in a project, I ask!
Since the Forsythia is already starting to bloom here, I am a little late doing this project but I just got my plants. I got them at an estate sale auction for $2 each!! Now, that's a deal!
You can force many different flowering shrubs like Spirea, Dogwood, Honeysuckle, Serviceberry or Spicebush.
1. Cut branches on a day above freezing. Don't go too wild, you don't want to disfigure the plant. 6-18" is a good length.
2. Bring branches indoors and cut a second time about an inch above the first cut. Then cut up the branches about an inch. Some people use a hammer on the ends instead, I am not sure if it matters. You just need to rough up that end a bit.
3. Place stems in a container with floral preservative. I made my own. The "recipe" is 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 Tbsp of bleach, one quart of water. Then place the container in a cool dark spot.
4. When buds start to show color move the branches into a lighter room but not in direct sunlight.
5. Enjoy your Spring-y bouquet, even if there's still 2 feet of snow outside!
This is what mine are looking like this morning! Lovely!
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