If you’re living in northern climes and you are tired of winter (hand raised here in MA), you can bring a little springtime into your home right now by forcing forsythia blossoms. No need to wait another month or longer for the sight of these classic yellow blooms in your yard. It is really easy to force forsythia and enjoy its blooms a little early.

In February and early March you can force forsythia and other plants, such as pussy willows, cherry tree branches and some flowering tree branches. The flowering shrubs and trees need a period of cold weather (about 6 weeks) before you can force them and by February they have had that.

Forsythia grows all over the place in New England. If you don’t have some in your own back yard, you probably know someone who will let you cut some branches.

Instructions

Use these simple instructions for forcing forsythia blossoms.

On a day when it is above freezing, grab a pair of pruning shears or a sharp knife and cut some forsythia branches at whatever length you want.

Here’s what garden experts will tell you to do to get the best results from your cut stems. Soak the branches in lukewarm water and cut another inch from each stem while the stems are underwater. This prevents exposure to air, which can dry out the ends of the stems and discourage water intake. Put the stems in a container with fresh water. Add floral preservative to the water.

Full disclosure. I never do the things that I just described in the last paragraph. I put the forsythia in water when I get inside. Sometimes the stems were exposed to air for some time. I don’t trim the ends. I don’t use floral preservative. I always get flowers. Maybe I’m just lucky. You could try both methods and see if one works best for you.

Put your arrangement of forsythia branches in a spot away from bright sunlight and direct heat. When the flowers bloom, they will last a little longer if they are not exposed to sun and heat. At this stage in your project, anyone who sees the arrangement will probably wonder why you have a bunch of sticks in a vase. When you explain, they’ll probably want some branches, so that they can give it a try.

Here are my forsythia branches the day that I picked them.

Over the next few days enjoy watching for hints of forsythia buds. You should start seeing some greenish-yellow buds in 3 or 4 days.

These are my branches covered with buds on day 4.

By day 6, you’ll probably have blooms. Welcome spring!

On day 7, my forsythia arrangement was in full bloom.

Enjoy your beautiful blooms. They should last about a week.

Had enough of winter? You might enjoy some of my suggestions for dealing with the winter blues in this post: It’s the weekend!