greenery amy hi there, our grass needs mowing. 030206 ... frAnk hey there, our grass is sleeping underneath eight inches of snow and more as i write. 030207 ... cr0wl pieris japonica is an amazing, hardy evergreen. there is one in a pot next to the pigpen sticking its tongue out at winter. 090110 ... unhinged they had bunches of dogwood trimmings on sale at the grocery store that had green little shootlets starting to poke through. do dogwood trimmings actually bloom? 090110 ... cr0wl i have forced forsythia. they're really easy to do, as is crabapple. here's how to do it... How to Force Branches from Shrubs for Indoor Bloom You can cut boughs from your spring-blooming shrubs and trees to bring them inside, and “force” them to open. The best time to do this is between February and April, depending on your zone, when the temperature begins to climb above freezing for a day or two.    Procedure:  Select branches that have the most buds and make a clean cut flush against the trunk of the tree so that no stub is left. This procedure ensures quick healing. Then seal all the cuts on the shrub with a mixture of antiseptic mouthwash and latex paint.  After gathering the branches,  crush or split the lower stems a few inches from the bottom to increase the area exposed to water for better absorption. Then place the branches in a bucket or large vase of room temperature water. Beautiful blooms will begin to appear within a few weeks. And, what a sight for sore, winter weary eyes!    090111 ... unhinged these trimmings don't have any buds on them, so guess not. 090111 what's it to you? who go blather from