Forcing Flowering Branches Imagine being able to have blooms from flowering trees and shrubs in the dead of winter. Well, it’s possible and anybody can do it. The process is called “Forcing”.
Basically, you are tricking your spring-flowering trees and shrubs into thinking it’s springtime in the winter. You literally are bringing cut branches from flowering trees and shrubs inside for them to bloom indoors much earlier than normal.
You’ll need to wait until there has been at least 8 weeks of cold outdoors (under 40 degrees F is preferable). Woody plants have met their dormancy requirements and are just waiting for the right conditions to bloom. Here is what you do:
1- Choose your target flowering tree or shrub.
2- Select branches that have a large number of flower buds
3- Carefully prune out branches using sharp pruners.
4- Cut at least 12 inch long branches.
5- Bring the cut branches indoors and place into water (submerge completely if possible in a large bucket or the bathtub overnight).
6- Keep in a bucket of water in temperatures of about 60-65 degrees
F.
7- Wait for the blooms.
Once your flowering branches have blooms you can arrange them however desired. You may be able to increase the life of your blooms by using floral preservatives and keeping the stems in bright, indirect light during the day, and in a cool location at night. Some of the known flowering trees and shrubs you can force include:
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