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

For many people, the first crocus or daffodil bloom marks the arrival of spring.  To me the bright yellow, in your face blossom of the forsythia bush has always been my marker that spring has sprung and I can think about packing away my winter gear (well maybe most of it).
Forsythia Bush in Winter

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.

Forsythia Branches

 

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.

Forsythia branches in bucket
After a few days some buds began to appear!  Looks like it may be working!
Forsythia Buds

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!

forsythia branches blooming indoors


Happy Spring!

Jean from Bird Etiquette