Forsythia doesn’t meekly flower in spring. It turns from a camouflaged brown bunch of twigs to a shouting ball of yellow. “Look at me!” it commands. Against a neutral world of hibernating life, it truly stands out and proudly announces that Spring has finally arrived.
I decided to cheat a little because I’m simply getting impatient. I cut some Forsythia twigs that had been damaged by the heavy snow and put them in water on my kitchen windowsill. A week and a half later, I have the happiest yellow bouquet.
I also have a red leaf plum tree in front of my porch that has the loveliest red leaves in summer.
I clipped a few limbs from this tree, which is nothing but grey and empty right now, and also put them in water. Just this morning I discovered little pink blooms that normally wouldn’t be popping out until late April/early May.
Patience is a virtue, but why wait? I get to see these blooms twice this year.
our backyard farm 
How exciting and encouraging! Thanks for sharing.
Woh, those red leaves will really stand out in summer, we have a red oak tree which turns the most intense red colour come autumn. I really love the wispy pink flowers on the bottom image
Thanks to you both! They definitely brighten things up this time of year. Spring is coming for us all, although Anthony you get to experience it even earlier than us!
I remember planting forsythia on a landscaping job in Victoria. It was blooming when I planted it. It certainly does shout!
Just today I was looking at the buds on a lilac bush out front, wondering if I would snip some twigs to force indoors…. think the answer to that is probably “yes” after reading your paean to these early signs of spring!
Yes, thanks for sharing. Also LOVE these photos!!