Forsythia is pure joy. There is not an ounce, not a glimmer of sadness or even knowledge in forsythia. Pure, undiluted, untouched joy.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Fortunately, a forsythia bush appeared in my backyard, along the gravel walk, a few years ago. After a long winter, mostly spent indoors, I am eager to greet spring and all the signs of life that accompany it. Since patience is not my strong suit, I decided to try to move things along by forcing some forsythia branches. I would not consider myself a gardener, however this is something I felt confident I could do. Referencing several articles online, including this one from The Spruce, I decided to give it a go!
First, on a mild day in early March I cut some branches off my forsythia bush. I laid them out on the driveway to get an idea of size and also remove any broken or dead stems.
After that I filled a 5 gallon bucket with warm water and allowed the branches to soak it up. A few hours later, I recut the stems about 1” up on a diagonal so they could absorb more water.
I placed the bucket near a south facing window and changed the water every couple of days.
After a few days some buds began to appear! Looks like it may be working!
Success! After 10 days I was rewarded with bright, yellow blossoms to brighten my day. Now to figure out how to keep the kitten from playing with them!
Happy Spring!
Jean from Bird Etiquette