Spring is coming, and you can force these shrub or tree branches for early blooms. This is how you do it.

image from thiftyfun.com 

      ​     COLD out again this Monday morning, but fellow Iowan’s looks like the next 7 days we are going to have some warmer days.  This will be great.  Temperature at 8:30 AM is at 2 degrees.  Tonight, a low of 13 while high today is 23.  Partly cloudy with flurries  It is going to warm up, so enjoy.  It will help with the rest of winter with this warming trend. 
List of flowering branches of spring-blooming trees and shrubs
Enjoy a prelude to spring! An age-old practice called “forcing branches” requires simply pruning non-essential branches of flowering trees and shrubs and putting the branches in a vase. The buds will open, filling the room with sweet blossoms of spring. See how to force branches—plus, plus a chart of best trees and shrub to force with time to bloom.
It’s easy! All you need is a pair of clean, sharp pruners (and a spring-flowering tree or shrub!). No special expertise is required.
What Are Forced Branches?
This age-old practice is about bringing flowering branches of trees and shrubs indoors in late winter. The branches are budded but they haven’t bloomed on the tree. However, when you bring the branches inside, the buds will gradually open and blossom, filling your room with the lovely flowers of spring. Common branches to “force” are Tulip Magnolia, Quince, Forsythia, and Pussy Willows.
You’ll be pruning the non-essential branches of spring-flowering trees, so don’t worry about harming your shrub or tree.
Best Trees and Shrubs for Forcing Branches
Below is a list of best trees and shrubs that you would prune before bloom. The numbers in the chart below indicate the approximate number of weeks that the branches will take to flower indoors.
Note: Branches won’t flower until they’ve had a proper cold period, usually about six weeks.
January to early February is a great time to force forsythias and witch hazels. By mid-February, try eastern redbud, cherry, and red maples. By mid-to-late February, consider lilacs, honeysuckle, willows, and magnolias.
If you have pussy willows, they are a great choice for forcing indoors. They don’t require water, and they last for ages. (Wait until the downy catkins have broken out of their casings.)
Best Trees and Shrubs for Forcing Indoors
Tree or Shrub     Time to Bloom
Buckeye               5 weeks
Cherry                    4 weeks
Cornelian dogwood        2 weeks
Crab apple          4 weeks
Deutzia                 3 weeks
Flowering almond            3 weeks
Flowering dogwood        5 weeks
Flowering quince              4 weeks
Forsythia             1 week
Honeysuckle      3 weeks
Horse chestnut 5 weeks
Lilac                        4 weeks
Magnolia             3 weeks
Pussy willow       2 weeks
Red maple           2 weeks
Redbud                 2 weeks
Red-twig dogwood          5 weeks
Spicebush           2 weeks
Spirea                   4 weeks
Wisteria               3 weeks
*Note that the trees tend to be stubborn and their blossoms may not be as rewarding as those of the shrubs.
How to Prune Branches
All you need is a pair of clean, sharp pruners (and a spring-flowering tree or shrub!)
Choose a day when the temperature is above freezing. The milder temperatures help ease the transition the plants must make from outdoors to indoors.
Select branches that are not essential to the form of your shrub or tree, in a crowded section, and towards the back of the plant.
Prune a 1 to 2 foot-long length of branch. Choose a branch with lots of buds, preferably with very small buds that are beginning to open. (The flower buds are generally fatter and more rounded than leaf buds.)
Remember proper pruning!  Cut branches on the diagonal. Steeply-angled cuts ensure water uptake.
 
It helps to “bruise” the cut ends: Crush the stem ends with a small hammer; they’ll soak up the water faster.
How to Force Branches
Once you’re inside, set the branches in a vase or vessel of room temperature overnight. Cut slits from the cut up the branch for several inches to promote water uptake. (Make sure the vase won’t tip with the heavy branches.)
Keep vase in a bright room away from heaters and direct sun. The brighter the room, the better the quality of bloom.
Recut the ends using a slanting cut the next day.
Change the water every few days so the branches don’t rot from build-up of bacteria forming. Mist flowers.
Flowers should appear in a few weeks. Once blooms appear, display in a warm area and enjoy!
Note: If it does not work the first time you try a plant, cut branches a few weeks later and try again.
Misted flowers and catkins can last for up to a week in a cool, 60 degree room. Branches with leaves may last longer.
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/forcing-branches-bloom-indoors
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa beckmall@netins.net 641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365