Forcing spring branches is one of my favourite things to do this time of the year. Late winter and early spring is the perfect time to bring spring indoors. It is officially Spring here in Nova Scotia – we did have snow last week and it will be a while yet before our trees start to blossom here. So why wait for Mother Nature when we can force flowering branches to blossom indoors!
Last year, in the late winter and early spring, I thoroughly enjoyed forcing flowering trees to bloom early by bringing them indoors. My favourite branches to force bloom are: magnolia, apple, cherry and forsythia branches. There are many other branches that will bloom in your home! So if you have a favourite blossoming tree – give it a try!
The process is really quite easy and the results are simply beautiful. It is fun giving Mother Nature a little Give nudge while enjoying these beautiful arrangements indoors.
Some branches can take several weeks to bloom. Last year, throughout lock down watching the blossoms slowly open up each day gave me a lot of hope. It was a beautiful thing and really made me appreciate the little things. We enjoyed the watching the buds on the branches slowly turn into blossoms for weeks. Once the flowers begin to blossom they last about 1-2 weeks.
My friend Katie-Rose shares a full how to Force Bloom on her blog. I’m so glad she introduced me to this process because it is SO easy and it is also free if you have access to the right type of tree / bush.
When selecting branches to use I try to select branches that have a lot of buds and I like to keep my branches quite long for a more dramatic look. It also allows you to trim them how you want them depending on how you’d like to display them. Once branches are cut, submerge in water overnight, then recut stems diagonally approximately one inch from the base. Change your water every few days to help prevent any bacteria build up.
Forcing Branches – Things To Know
Some branches will blossom faster than others so it is a great tip to keep some branches stored in water in a cooler place until you are ready for them to start blooming. I like to replace some branches so you have a variety of branches at different stages in your vase. Some might be just buds, some might slowly opening and other branches are completely blossomed.
Today I’m planning to trim some branches and I’ll share over on my Instagram page. It’s so easy! No special expertise is required.
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