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    Home » DIY Garden Projects

    How To Force Flowering Branches Indoors

    Published by Pam Kessler | 476 words. · About 3 minutes to read this article. - 10 Comments

    Forcing flowering branches to bloom is one of the easiest ways to bring spring inside! Includes easy instructions on how and when to cut your branches and tips on arranging them.

    This time of year I always try to bring a little bit of the outdoors inside. Especially when Mother Nature smacks me upside the head with a few snowballs like she did last weekend.

    And one of my favorite ways to do this is by forcing flowering branches to bloom indoors. Yes, tree branches inside the house!!!

    Forcing flowering branches to bloom is one of the easiest ways to bring spring inside! Includes easy instructions on how and when to cut your branches and tips on arranging them.

    And it's so easy it's silly!

    How To Force Flowering Branches Indoors:

    When To Cut

    • You can cut branches in late winter before buds are showing and wait and wait and wait for them to bloom.
    • Or as I prefer, wait until spring to cut the branches when you see buds just starting to plump up and almost open. Much less wait time for your blooms!
    • The closer you cut the branch to its natural bloom time, the quicker the flowers will bloom inside the house for you.

    How To Cut

    • Use clean, sharp hand pruners
    • Make the cut down at the bottom, right above where the branch meets a larger branch (see 1st first photo below)
    • Cut at an angle
    • Remove any small twigs and leaves close to the bottom of the branch
    • Hitting the base of the cut stem with a hammer to squash open the branch a bit helps the branch to absorb more water (see 2nd photo below)

    Forcing flowering branches to bloom is one of the easiest ways to bring spring inside! Includes easy instructions on how and when to cut your branches and tips on arranging them.
    Forcing flowering branches to bloom is one of the easiest ways to bring spring inside! Includes easy instructions on how and when to cut your branches and tips on arranging them.

    How To Arrange

    • Arrange branches in tall vases, canisters or narrow mouthed jugs. Mason jars work just fine also!
    • Fill vases with a few inches of water and keep the water fresh.
    • Putting your arrangements in a cool spot out of direct sunlight can help to make the blooms last longer.

    Speaking of great vases, Manuela from A Cultivated Nest has a great idea of turning a glass apple juice jug into a stunning Pottery Barn inspired vase for spring branches.

    Making a demi jon vase out of a glass juice bottle

    Source:  A Cultivated Nest

    I checked and my local Krogers has glass jugs of apple juice in their healthy/organic/tastes-like-cardboard foods section. You can also buy the juice in glass jugs at Whole Foods.

    Branches That Produce Lovely Blooms

    • Dogwood
    • Apple
    • Crabapple
    • Cherry
    • Pear
    • Mock Orange
    • Flowering Quince
    • Magnolia
    • Lilac
    • Forsythia
    • Pussy Willow

    Forcing flowering branches to bloom is one of the easiest ways to bring spring inside! Includes easy instructions on how and when to cut your branches and tips on arranging them.(the flowers in this photo are crabapple)

    Have you forced flowering branches before? What's you favorite one to force?

    And BTW, forcing sounds so violent! It's such a harsh word for such a pretty thing!

    You can view the web story version of this article HERE.

    Other posts you may enjoy:

    Making Tulips Last Longer: No More Drooping

    DIY Easter Eggs: Vintage Style

    DIY Reusable Bowl Covers & Food Wrap (with beeswax)

    Old Fashioned Flowers For Your Garden

    (This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. You can read my full disclosure policy here.)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces

      April 15, 2016 at 10:35 am

      So pretty, Pam! I've never tried this, but my cherry tree is looking ready...maybe I'll cut some from the apple trees, too. Thanks! Glad you are feeling better!

      Reply
      • Pam

        April 15, 2016 at 12:51 pm

        Give it a try. My crabapple blooms normally last a few weeks!

        Reply
    2. Brenda Kula-Pruitt

      April 15, 2016 at 9:13 pm

      That is just beautiful! I can't believe I've never done this.
      Brenda

      Reply
    3. Diana Petrillo

      April 15, 2016 at 9:59 pm

      Great instructions Pam! I've never tried it, but I feel that I should 🙂

      Reply
    4. taryterre

      April 16, 2016 at 2:34 am

      Only tried it once and one of the walls in my house filled with teeny tiny bugs. Took forever to get rid of them. I have no luck bringing the outdoors in. But I wish I had your green thumb. Those flowering branches look lovely, indeed.

      Reply
      • Pam

        April 16, 2016 at 8:29 am

        Oh no, I've never had a bug issue before! Maybe it's best to keep the outdoors outside in your case!

        Reply
    5. Vickie

      April 16, 2016 at 8:48 am

      The photos of your flowering branches are gorgeous, Pam! I'm sorry to say, but my choices of branches are now limited since we had to cut down our flowering crab and apple tree. Sniff, sniff.

      Reply
    6. Amanda @ The Kolb Corner

      February 14, 2017 at 11:28 am

      I am totally trying this idea! We just moved to a rental house and I am pretty sure there is a dogwood tree in the backyard.

      Also, for the glass jug there is a yummy brand of Moscato sangria that I've seen at Kroger that just so happens to be in a beautiful blue tinted jug. Just thought you may want to keep on the lookout for it. I have several of the jugs throughout my home 🙂

      Reply
    7. Marion

      February 18, 2017 at 4:55 pm

      Hi, I have forsythia in leaf, I will bring that indoors, I have done it many times, such a pretty yellow!

      Reply
    8. Janet

      March 16, 2019 at 6:35 am

      So beautiful Pam and sadly we don't have any flowering branches way down south here. Forced to faux!

      Reply

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