It’s easy to force some flowering trees to bloom early, once the buds have swollen on the branches. Just cut some branches, put them in water, and change the water everyday. The blooms should last about a week. Any flowering trees will work, but I’ve found that forsythia will work best for me. I cut these branches last Friday, and they just opened fully today.
I also cut some peach blossoms, but either they take longer to open or they aren’t going to open at all. I combined the two branches in one pitcher, but now I think I would have skipped the peaches and opted for more forsythia.
Just think, these flowers grew right in my parents’ backyard, and didn’t burn needless fossil fuels traveling long distances to get here. They also weren’t forced to bloom in a greenhouse under grow lights, but rather in my own house with normal temperatures and in natural light.
You really have to know your botany to find a branch that will flower in the early spring. Or make a mental note of a plant’s location for next year when you see its natural bloom in spring.
Filed under: Gardening, Outside, Sustainable Living
Hi Abbie
This is so informative, recipes, flowers, very cute!!! You are the farmer’s daughter!
Have fun!
Hi Ab
You may really want to try apple blossoms, they take much longer to bloom than forsythia but it is worth the wait. I did that wedding last year with all apple and it was so beautiful. Like the recipe info. Whats next?
Have a good one
xoxo
Thanks Abbie. I suppose I might wait until March to find budding branches to bloom inside, but with global warming, late February may work just as well.