Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU that forsythia can’t be forced in January. The branches you see pictured above, cut just 18 days ago during below-freezing temperatures, have all blossomed for me without a hitch. Here are some close-ups of the plant’s golden stars, along with a link to my forsythia forcing guide (click photos to enlarge):
If you need a touch of spring just now — and you probably do — then by all means clip yourself an armload of dormant forsythia branches. Follow my easy forcing technique and I promise you these stems — no matter how hopeless they appear — will bloom for you in no time at all.
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Adele says
Kevin, love the closeups of blossoms against the colorful paintings.
Hope you are staying warm in your beautiful old house.
Terry says
How beautiful! That yellow really brightens things up. I have no forsythia, but I do have some lilac, wish I had the courage to go outside and grab a branch or too.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – Not that I'm suggesting you get arrested, but…when I lived in NYC I used to “borrow” forsythia branches from Central Park.
Lilac is tricky. But crabapple, honeysuckle and flowering cherry can all be forced now. I cut crabapple branches on Jan. 5; these are now beginning to show color.
Also, a reader gave some great suggestions for forcing magnolia. You can see her directions in the comments section of this post.