forcing in feb

we hit over 30 degrees today!!!! i was so psyched that i went for a 5 mile walk/run in my carhartts and tennis shoes....hehehe. when i think of carhartts i always imagine a big burly guy wearing work boots....not a tall girl in tennis shoes....:)

since it is the first of feb and i am itching for outdoor activity, like everyone else, i headed out to the garden to cut some stems for forcing. i was amazed that several shrubs look like they could burst into bloom if given a couple of days of #1 sun(just haven't seen it much the past month) and #2 just a teeny bit of warmness. here's a few of the shrubs that looked good for forcing.




1. purple sand cherry.....hard to see buds in this pic. i hate to say it but this isn't one of my favorite bushes. ok...really didn't hate saying that.....it was already here when we moved in tho....ugh! if it wasn't in an out of the way spot it would have been long gone. we'll see how it does with forcing.....must have at least one good saving grace, right?

btw.....see all those scratch marks on the back of the human backhoe's garage wall? never noticed them til this pic. looks like this stinker of a bush is planted way too close to that wall and is vandalizing the garage. it really does need to go!




2. weeping pussy willow....love love this plant! planted right by our mailbox so i can see the first signs of spring immediately. this little guy has a few buds just beginning to open already. you can see them if you look real hard......:)






3. my favorite early blooming magnolia....the star magnolia. just stunning when in bloom. these buds look like they are gonna burst anyday....but that isn't gonna happen for at least another 6 weeks.




let the forcing begin.....wrapped in plastic and headed to the cool basement. forcing works best in 50-60 degree temps and indirect light. also added some bleach and flower food to the warm water in the vase. should be ready to display around valentine's day.



here's a pic from grit.com...i hope to be making something similar in next week or so.


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