From late winter into spring, the delicate blossoms on flowering deciduous shrubs and trees are a welcome sight. To fast-forward the enjoyment of their flowers a bit, and maximize how long they stay in the house before the blossoms start to drop, you can force them into bloom indoors, by cutting them when they are still in bud.

Here in Zone 9 in the Napa Valley, January is when I bring in the first of these budding branches: almond and flowering quince. When I lived back east in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, forsythia was the first of the branches to come indoors.

Soon, it’ll be time to cut from fruit trees like cherries and apples, and ornamental shrubs and trees like bridal-wreath spirea and magnolia. Here are a few tips for forcing branches into bloom:

• Many shrubs and trees form buds during the previous year and then need several weeks of winter dormancy before they can open. So it’s important to wait to cut these branches until after some winter cold. If you try cutting branches and discover that their buds never open because it was a bit too early, you can try again a few weeks later.
• It’s not always easy to tell the difference between buds with flowers and those with leaves. Over the years, you may learn to recognize the difference with the trees and shrubs you have, and in the meantime you can cut into one bud to check if there’s a developing flower inside. But I think branches with tiny leaves emerging are lovely too, so I don’t usually take time to do this.
• To help their woody stems take up as much water as possible, make a vertical cut at the bottom of the stem, going about one inch up the center, before placing it in warm water.
• Keep the branches indoors, away from direct sunlight and heat sources, which can affect the lifespan and appearance of their blossoms. Replace their water every few days, and enjoy watching them gradually open.