Debunking Conventional Gardening Wisdom

Debunking conventional gardening wisdom is a favorite pastime of the Gardening Grannies. This time we’re taking a look at forcing shrubs. Specifically, we’re talking about forsythia and its absolute promise of springtime. As gardeners, we simply like to look at that promise so we take up the practice of forcing blooms.

For the uninitiated, this simply means pruning bare branches of flowering shrubs during the dormant season and forcing the bloom period to come early in warmth of the house. This cutting of flower tips results in a somewhat reduced number of spring blooms but the upside is three fold: You get the early blooms inside, the remaining blooms may be larger and you can shape the shrub in the process.

So, what’s the conventional wisdom the Gardening Grannies have taken issue with? Conventional wisdom, rife with the fastidiousness of the Odd Couple’s Felix Unger, the literature will tell you that

• You have to wait until the buds begin to swell
• That they require a prolonged cold spell (often described as 8 weeks) to satisfy the chilling requirements
• You have to cut the stems under water
• You should completely submerge the stems for 72 hours
• Hammer the cut end to allow the stem to absorb more water
• Put the stems in water and cover with a plastic bag to conserve moisture
• Keep in a cool area (unheated garage) for a few weeks after cutting to reduce the “shock” before bringing into the house.

We’ve all heard them. Most of us have tried them. The Gardening Grannies have shared hilarious stories about commandeering the bathtub for 3 days to submerge the branches, dripping water all over the floor, hammering stems and fingers, taping plastic and fingers to create tents around the stems and trying to successfully cut the right length stem under water. We don’t mean to break your heart, but none of that is really necessary.

This particular enlightenment began three days after Christmas when Granny Griffith discovered a lone fully opened blossom on a forsythia twig in the front yard. Reasoning that if one blossom could open in the cold with a very short period of chill , they should all be able to open if forced in the warmth. Always one for “tradition”, Granny waited until New Years Day and did some pruning. Saving a few of the small end branches she took them inside and sized them (not cutting under water) for a small purple vase. She stuck them in the water with no chemicals added and set them in the heated gardening room. Three weeks later, without benefit of chemicals, water change, hammering, tenting or anything else, the dormant buds burst into bloom and they are still looking good!

This leads one to wonder what other spring flowering shrubs could be forced in a similar trouble-free manner. Perhaps flowering cherry or plum? Perhaps azalea or dogwood?  Maybe flowering quince? Pussy willow? Take a look around your yards and check out the possibilities. The Gardening Grannies plan to take a variety of cuttings this Sunday while their significant others are engrossed in Super Bowl, beer and chicken wings. We’ll share what works and what doesn’t and we hope you will do the same.

The Gardening Grannies are avid and Master Gardeners who live, love and garden on the Delmarva Peninsula. You can reach us at gardeninggrannies@47abc.com.