By now, many of us are bored with plain green houseplants that are struggling to stay alive. To liven up your indoor world, welcome spring a bit early by adding a touch of natural color. Stems of woody plants can be forced to bloom right now.

Here are the steps to force spring blooming plants to flower for days of indoor enjoyment:

Forsythia, pussy willow flowering quince, crabapple and redbud are the easiest. All of these have experienced enough cold weather to satisfy their chilling requirement and should bloom if given the right conditions. Remember, flower buds on forsythia are killed as temperatures reach minus 10. If your area has temperatures that far below zero, use one of the other woody plants.

Select and cut the branches on a day when temperatures are above freezing. Use branches that are slightly thicker than a pencil and are less than 3 feet long. As you cut, place the stems in a bucket of water. Once you have enough, bring them inside and totally submerge them in 80-degree bath water for three hours. This ensures that the stems and buds are fully hydrated. Take care to handle the branches carefully; dormant buds are easily damaged and will not bloom. After soaking, arrange the cut stems in a container that has a warm preservative solution and place them in a room with high humidity and plenty of light.

Make a preservative solution by dissolving packets of floral preservative in water. These packets can be found at local florists and other garden supply places. Or make your own preservative by mixing one tablespoon of Listerine with one gallon of water. Floral preservatives serve two functions: they prevent bacterial growth in your water and provide nutrients and energy for the life processes of the plants.

The No. 1 reason for failure is humidity. Many times houses have low relative humidity during the winter. Low humidity can lead to dehydration of flower buds and blossoms. To raise the humidity around your plants, mist them and then drape a dry cleaner’s bag over the top. If the dry cleaner’s bag is too small, use a clear plastic dropcloth gathered and tied at the bottom. For larger displays, you may need to use a whole room humidifier.

Normally, forsythia will take about nine days to flower. Quince, crabapple and redbud will require between 12 and 20 days, and pussy willow needs from five to 15 days. The time required will vary depending on your indoor conditions and how late in the winter the branches are collected. Less time is required for branches collected later in the season. Once flowering, stems should remain in bloom for about a week before the flowers start to fade.

– Bruce Chladny is horticulture agent at K-State Research and Extension-Douglas County. For more information, call him at 843-7058 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.