How to Force Branches to Bloom Indoors Before Spring

This guide shows how to take budding branches from flowering trees and shrubs and coax them into blooming indoors—weeks ahead of schedule. You’ll learn when to cut, how to care for the branches, and which plants are best for beautiful early flowers right in your home. 

If you want to force flowering bulbs indoors, this has a free printable timing calendar.

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What is Forcing?

Forcing is a method used by gardeners to bring flowering branches indoors and encourage them to bloom ahead of schedule. It works by cutting branches with visible buds from trees or shrubs that normally flower in late winter or early spring, placing them in water indoors where the warmth and moisture signal the plant that it’s time to grow.

This technique doesn’t require fancy tools or a greenhouse—just the right cuttings, a vase, and a little time.

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Which Branches Can Be Forced?

Most spring-flowering shrubs and trees can be coaxed into early bloom indoors. Some of the most reliable and popular options include:

• Apple & Crabapple (Malus spp.)
• Cherry (Prunus spp.)
• Dogwood (Cornus spp.)
• Forsythia (Forsythia spp.)
• Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)
• Lilac (Syringa spp.)
• Mock orange (Philadelphia coronarius)
• Pear (Pyrus spp.)
• Pussy willow (Salix discolor and other Salix spp.)
• Quince (Chaenomeles spp.)
• Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
• Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.)
• Spirea (Spiraea spp.)
• Magnolia (Magnolia spp.)
• Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)
• Wisteria (Wisteria spp.)
• Witch hazel (Hamamelis spp.)

Forsythia is often recommended as a beginner-friendly option because it responds so well to forcing. 

The example shown in this article is a single Star Magnolia branch from my little tree. You don’t have to cut masses of branches to have a beautiful display!

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Timing

Most hardy flowering shrubs and trees need a period of cold dormancy or “chill time” before they can be forced indoors.

The best timing depends on your local climate, but in most parts of Canada and the United States, February to April is the sweet spot for cutting branches to force indoors. 

Choose flowering trees and shrubs you know bloom reliably each year in late winter or early spring, and check for visible buds. A few unseasonably warm days—when winter and spring are still wrestling—can trigger bud swelling, mark the start of branch forcing season.

• If you want to enjoy the gradual transition from bud to bloom, take branch cuttings early—just as buds start to swell but weeks before their typical bloom time.
• If you just want flowers, take branch cuttings just before their natural outdoor bloom time—when you can see the flowers are ready to open.

Branches usually take 1 to 5 weeks to flower indoors depending on the plant type and how close it is to its normal blooming schedule.

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How to Force Flowering Branches

By bringing the branches indoors, you’re providing the warmth, light, and moisture needed to encourage blooming. 

This isn’t a fussy process, but a few steps will help increase your chances of success:

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1Select and Cut the Branches

Take your cuttings on a warm day (above freezing). 

Use clean pruners or snippers the right size for the branches you are cutting. 

Have your vase (Step 2) with warm water ready.

• Look for crossed, crowded, or unwanted suckers with buds—anything you’d normally prune except for this purpose they must have buds. The goal is to take cuttings without disfiguring the plant.
• Slender branches, perhaps 3/4-inch in diameter (or less) and at least 12-inches long work best.
• Make your cut at the base of the branch, just above the branch collar (the wider area where a branch joins the main stem or trunk), to avoid leaving a stub.
• After taking each cutting, give the base of your cutting a second cut at an angle. Then remove any buds or growth on the lower part of the branch that would sit in water in the vase. This helps prevent rot and keeps the water cleaner longer.  

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2Place in Water

Use a tall, sturdy vase to support the branches.

• Add several inches of room temperature water to vase.
• You can use a floral preservative in the water if you like. Follow instructions on the packet. 
• Arrange branches in vase. Handle the branches gently—bumping or shaking them can cause buds to fall off, which means no blooms. 
• Keep branches away from strong light and heat sources which can dry out the buds and fade the flowers.

Hong long until I have flowers?

Bloom times depend on what you’re forcing and how far along it was when you took the branch cuttings. One to five weeks is the average.

If you’re like me, you’ll enjoy witnessing the gradual transformation from bud to bloom over time.

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Care Tips

Daily Care

• Rinse out vase and add fresh water every day or two or weekly if using a floral preservative. 
• Avoid strong light and heat sources which can dry out the branches.
• Take photos. It’s fun to observe and compare the changes over time.

What if my forced branches grow roots?

It happens! Some species or hybrids are much more likely to grow roots than others.

If it does happen, when the roots are several inches long, you can plant the branch in a container like any other potted tree or shrub. It will likely take a few growing seasons before it’s ready to be planted in the garden.

You may not get the plant of your dreams (since many of our favorites come from intentional breeding plus rootstock and grafting) but it’s fun to see what happens.

This tutorial on taking hardwood cuttings has more tips for propagation.

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Resources

• How to Force Flowering Bulbs Indoors
• How to Cut & Display Pussy Willow Branches Indoors

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛