Released Dec. 10, 2007

URBANA, Ill. -- One cure for the winter blahs is to bring an early touch of spring indoors, said a University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator.

"The winter blahs start to hit in late January and February. The days are gray and monotonous. We begin to long for the first signs of spring," said Martha Smith. "There is a way we can enjoy some of the flowers of spring now.

"Consider forcing tree and shrub branches into bloom. A pussy willow or forsythia branch in bloom can lift our spirits tremendously. You can also accomplish another task at the same time--pruning."

She recommended selectively removing branches for forcing from ones that need to be removed from the plant in order to thin it out.

"Early spring-flowering trees and shrubs form their flower buds in the fall before the plants go dormant," said Smith. "A cold period is needed for the buds to set and open properly. This is a minimum of eight weeks of temperatures below 40 degrees F. The later in the winter you cut the branches, the shorter the forcing time becomes."

Most spring-flowering shrubs such as spirea, pussy willow, forsythia, or honeysuckle are fairly easy to force and you could try them now. Lilacs, rhododendron, and flowering almond should not be cut until March. Flowering trees such as crabapple and dogwood can be more difficult to coax into bloom, but are worth the effort.

"Select healthy young branches with numerous flower buds," she said. "Flower buds are usually larger and plumper than foliar buds. Choose branches from crowded areas of the plant, since these should be pruned out anyway.

"Branches that are a minimum length of six to eight inches work well. Prune back to an outward bud, or all the way back to a branch. Don't leave a stub."

Branches benefit from a complete overnight soaking in lukewarm water, she added. A bathtub works well for this.

"The cut end should be either re-cut, shredded, or mashed for better water uptake," said Smith. "After soaking, place the branch in a vase with three inches of clean water. Normally, these flower buds open in the spring when temperatures warm up to 55 to 60 degrees F, so don't place them in an overly warm location."

The location should have temperatures that mimic springtime.

"A cool area that does not receive full sun is ideal," she said. "Check the water level, replacing with clean water as needed. When the buds begin to open, move to a sunny area and enjoy."

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http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news4233.html

Contacts: Martha A. Smith, (309) 836-3366

Bob Sampson, (217) 244-0225, rsampson@uiuc.edu