by Lisa Newman, Art Director
A few weeks ago someone arrived with quince and black pussy willow branches for me. I put both into a large vase. I loved watching them bloom. The quince stayed in bloom for a really long time, brightening my kitchen during New England’s cold February. The pussy willow provided nice texture to the arrangement.
My mom taught me early how to force branches. I believed that she was the only one who knew this magic trick. I would go out and collect pussy willow, apple branches, and forsythia and she would arrange them in large vases and I would watch as the branches came to life. I’m now the keeper of those vases.
My mom also taught me that we could start new plants from some of the branches that we forced. That’s how I started a few plants in my garden with branches from my mom’s garden. They make a nice connection to the past. And a double pleasure—first the blooms and then a plant.
Well, I know my mom wasn’t the only one who knows this trick to brightening the long New England winter. And now I have a question and I am without my mom to answer it.
I just noticed that both the quince and the willow have developed incredible roots. However, it’s February, and where I live there’s more than foot of snow on top of a base of ice. We won’t be ready to put anything into the earth for another two months. So the question: will the shoots keep? Is there anything I should be doing to keep them from molding? Am I crazy—should I just toss them? Seems awful to do that.
If you have any clues, please leave me a note. Just click “Comments.”
Thanks.
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