Thanks, Al, for another well written piece of gardening interest! I've been cutting and forcing late winter/early spring branches for as long as I can remember. As kids, my Dad would take us hiking to look for trees and shrubs with this specific purpose in mind. One of our favorites for cutting and forcing has always been the pussy willow. As I remember, though, we always took this hike a little later than January... sometime in February, I believe it was. I just happen to have a Pink French pussy willow tree/shrub that's marked for a drastic pruning... it will make a wonderful subject for forcing. JoJo, I hate to see you left out... let me see if I can swing a quick shipping your way... I don't know for certain if it would work, but I'd love to send you some forcing enjoyment from the frozen tundra of the north! ;-) Which reminds me... as soon as the weather breaks, I'll have a package for you. I'll email. Well, Al... you've successfully planted the notion that spring is not all that far away, and for those of us sitting under snow and ice, who never quite get used to the long winter season, this is wonderful news! I'm off to find my good pair of shears!

Well... I suppose if I already knew everything and wasn't able to absorb anything new, some of what Al writes might seem a little patronizing... but I don't know all there is to know, so what Al writes and the time he takes to explain things in depth, and the willingness to share he exhibits, are all greatly appreciated. It helps to remember that not everyone who frequents these forums is a gardening expert. Some of us are novices, or entirely new to the various processes, and some of us appreciate refreshers every once in a while. I know I do! Thanks again, Al! JoJo, that's a great idea! I love the display of gardening tools in the mail box! In fact, I just happen to collect old hand tools like that... I find them at flea markets and second hand stores... I might pinch your idea to use somewhere in the gardens here, if you don't mind! Mike, pussy willows are among the easiest to force! Those were my Dad's favorites for bringing in early as cuttings! The bigger the catkins, the more impressive the display!

WOW....! I can't believe you have daylilies blooming in January! I won't see mine start til July...boohoo. Your photos give me hope that soon all of you in the warm zones will start posting again. I'm so glad you have blooms and it's so nice to hear from you again Linda. Celeste

Loretta: The plant is very weeping and spreading (I could email you a digital pic if you wish). Camellia Forest Nursery suggests pruning on their website but Fairweather said to let it be and I did. Winter's Star blooms the earliest. Winter's Interlude and Winter's Rose are the hardiest (according to what I have read on the Fairweather website). Ermazi: You can examine the buds If there is no brown on the tips then the buds are definitely fine. New growth on camellias is the most susceptible to frost damage. The plant should be just fine even if you had temps near zero. Mine did fine for the past two winters and we had several days in a row with nightime temps in the single digits. Weather.com has a page with records for all the days in the year. pontesmanny