February, 2004 Regional Report  Force Flowering Branches  Many
flowering branches, such as forsythia, pussy willow, quince,
crabapple, plum, cherry, flowering almond, and dogwood, can be
forced into bloom indoors. Place freshly cut stems in a vase
with water and change the water every few days. Keep the
branches in a cool room (60 degrees) and mist occasionally. Look
for the flowers to open within a week or two.  Start Early
Veggies  Early-season veggies, such as onions and leeks, can be
seeded now for transplanting into the garden later this spring.
Salad greens and leafy vegetables, such as spinach; as well as
cold-tolerant herbs, such as parsley and chives, can also be
seeded now and grown indoors under lights for early nibbling.
Plant Slow Annuals  Some of our favorite flowering annuals can
take a long time to reach blooming size if started from seed, so
they need to be planted very early. Check the seed packet for
instructions for plants such as violas, geraniums, lobelia,
petunias, vinca, browallia, sn