|
|
| |  | |
| Force blossoms to open early (December 2005) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you are wishing you could add some spring color to a long, drab winter, consider forcing some flowering shrubs into an early bloom. “Once most shrubs have eight weeks of weather below 40 degrees (F), you can force them to bloom indoors,” explains Wendy Gasch, horticulturist with the Olbrich Botanical Garden at Madison, Wis. “Cut branches and soak them in cold water overnight to ease the transition from outdoors to indoors.”
Floral solution
“Fill a vase with a floral solution made of 1 teaspoon bleach, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1 quart of water,” recommends Gasch. “Before putting the branches in a vase, re-cut the bottom of each stem to improve water uptake. Depending on the shrub, it may take a week or two for flowers to open.”
Make sure your pruning doesn’t leave your bush misshapen. Gasch notes you may want to do a renewal prune at this time, and simply save some of the thin branches to force.
|
|
|
|
