In the Mid of Winter...

I've gone into the fields

to take

what this sweet hour

yields...

~Percy Bysshe Shelley~

It didn't take long for the branches of French Pussy Willow I clipped & brought inside, to bloom.

The beautiful little soft gray catkins have appeared creating a little Spring in my kitchen in the Mid of Winter.

It is COLD today!
-20 C with the wind.
Even colder weather & more snow is on the way for the weekend!

The catkins have shed their little brown coats in the warmth of our home :-)

Forcing French Pussy Willow Branches

***

~cut a few branches for indoor forcing

~bring indoors and place in a jar of tepid water ( I save and re-use large pickle jars for this)

~ keep in a dimly lit spot until they bloom

~enjoy

Once the catkins appear, you can remove them from the water, place in a dry jar and allow them to dry naturally to use in Spring arrangements. I place the branches in my outdoor Spring wreath.