The Budding Branches of Spring
Every early spring, I bring in some good-sized dramatic flowering branches from my garden.
I place one large Japanese crabapple branch in a heavily weighted tall vase on my mantle in
front of the mirror. The buds turn into pink flowers and continue to open for a couple of
weeks, and the effect is spectacular.
I trim a huge armful of forsythia that fills the largest vase I have. I place the vase in my
front bay window for all to enjoy inside or out. Some of the branches that lend themselves
to an early spring display are the following:
Bradford Pear
Japanese Crabapple or any flowering ornamental tree
Forsythia
Quince
Cherry Blossoms
Magnolia
Pussy Willow
The secret to a long display indoors is to cut your branches just on a day that is above
freezing and just before the larger buds are almost ready to begin opening. Cut large
branches with plenty of buds; best results are obtained by cutting the branch on the bias.
Place them in 3 to 4 inches of warmish water and add floral preservative. Change water
every couple of days and place your arrangement in a cool spot indoors out of the sun.
Once blooming, begins, move them to a brighter spot, but not direct drying sun. Many
branches will produce leaves as well.
Some branches will be hardier indoors than others. If you have trees that will work for
this project, start examining your trees or bushes in late winter and early spring. Keep
an eye out or they will start opening before you have a chance to cut some branches.
I know that you will find great enjoyment in doing this. When friends visit, they are
always amazed at the giant and beautiful flowering yellow forsythia that draws admiration
from everyone in the room.
And there you have it. |
