A lovely way to celebrate Midwinter is to force winter tree branches. “Forcing” branches simply means that you bring them inside when it’s still cold outside which causes them to react to the warmth in your home and break bud earlier than they would have outside. If you live somewhere a little warmer you may be able to get some early flowers this way, (this is also a great way to start a lesson about the difference between flower buds and leaf buds on winter trees) but nearly everyone will be able to get some charming little green leaves. Willow is on of my favorite trees to force, not just because they are one of the easier trees to coax into an early leaf out, but because they also have a compound in them that helps other plants root. This means that after the branches have put on their display you can use the water they were soaking in to propagate hardwood cuttings (which are also best started this time of year.) Any early flowering trees like cherry or redbud are great options too. So bring some nature indoors and experience a little bit of spring at Midwinter- force some branches!
- Select a few tree branches with obvious buds. The more they have started to swell the faster they will open indoors. Any tree should work, but early blooming varieties will generally be easier. Clip a few branches that will fit in a vase.
- Fill your vase with water and pop your branches in.
- Place the vase on a sunny windowsill and check back every few days. Top up the water if it starts to evaporate.
- Enjoy watching the leaves unfurl!
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