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Daytona Beach Riverfront Esplanade is a great place to stroll
Daytona Beach’s Riverfront Esplanade is a natural wonderland of flowers, trees, river views and walking paths that’s free for all to enjoy.
Though February is the shortest month of the year, here in Pennsylvania it can feel awfully long. One way to add a touch of springtime to your home is to add some cheerful blooms.
By choosing outdoor woody plants that set their buds in the fall, you can easily bring some cuttings inside to enjoy their beauty while it is still cold and gray outside.
Forcing flowers, or making them bloom before their usual time, has been done for centuries, and it isn’t hard to do.
Some favorite plants for forcing are forsythia, redbud, pussywillow, lilac, pear and cherry. The flowers of different plants need different amounts of time to open. Most importantly, forcing only works for plants that have set their buds in the fall, and then allowed a time of dormancy and a cold chill, usually at least eight weeks. The closer to their natural bloom time that you select your cuttings, the more success you’ll have forcing the flowers. Select branches with lots of plump flower buds. (Flower buds are typically fatter than the smaller, pointed leaf buds. If you’re not sure what type of buds you are looking at, slice one open to see if there are miniature flower parts inside.)
To begin the process of forcing, go outside and choose your plant for cuttings. If possible, select a day that is above freezing. If you must clip your stems in freezing weather, submerge the cuttings in a bathtub of cool water for a few hours after bringing them inside and then follow the directions given below. Remember, since you are removing branches, you are essentially pruning the shrub, so choose wisely as you snip. The shape of the remaining plant will be affected.
Cut graceful lengths at an angle with sharp clippers and bring the branches inside. Make several slits on the stems’ bottoms to aid in water absorption. Place the branches in a vase of warm water and put them in a cool place for several days. Mist the branches and change the water every other day. When the buds begin to open, move your arrangement to a brighter location.
Typically, forsythia is the fastest to force, taking about a week, while pussywillow takes about two weeks. Lilacs and fruit-tree cuttings can take four to five weeks. So, if you are forcing blooms for a special occasion, plan accordingly.
Most cuttings will hold their blooms for around a week. You can slow their progress by putting them back in a cool place.
Nothing quite brightens your house on a winter day like a sunny yellow cascade of forsythia. Give it a try and enjoy that springlike beauty.
Martha Murdock is a Penn State Master Gardener in Beaver County.
