Wisconsin gardeners may look with envy on their neighbors to the south whose growing season extends year round. But if you’re like me, you feel a little sadness at the first hard frost each fall, and then breathe a secret sigh of relief that a well-deserved few months of rest are ahead.
Then around the beginning of February when the only garden-related activity is looking through seed catalogs, you can’t wait for warm weather and you get the urge to grow something, anything, right now!
There are some things you can do to satisfy the need to get growing. The first is to plant some grass – indoors, of course. Just fill any size flower pot with potting soil to about one inch from the top, spread some grass seed on the soil, press the seed in firmly, put the pot in a bright spot, keep the soil moist, and in five to ten days a tiny lush lawn will spring up. To keep your pot of grass looking tidy, you can periodically trim it with a sharp scissors to whatever length you desire. I’ve seen home decorating magazines display pots of grass as centerpieces or coffee table decorations in very elegant homes.
Another way to jump-start spring indoors is by forcing blooms on flowering shrubs. The shrubs that work best are forsythia, pussy willow, flowering quince, winter honeysuckle, Japanese barberry and several of the hazels and spireas.
The best time to cut branches for forcing is on a mild day with temperatures just above freezing. Bring the branches indoors and soak them in the bathtub in tepid water overnight. If the bathtub isn’t available, stand them in a tall bucket or vase and give them a shower.
The next day, peel the bottom half inch of the stems back with a sharp knife, or if the stems are thick, slice them down the center to help with water uptake. Another option is to tap the cut ends a few times with a hammer to crush the stems.
Stand them in water and change the water daily. For the first few days, wrap newspaper or plastic around the branches to help them hold in moisture. Keep the branches in the coolest part of the house, away from direct sunlight.
Check the branches every day to see if buds are beginning to show color. When they do, remove the wrapping and place the vase in a brightly lit room. Soon the branches will be filled with blossoms and once again you’ll believe in the promise of spring!
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