Fundamental Facts
HARDINESS: Zones 3 to 8
PREFERRED SOIL pH: Neutral to slightly acid
PREFERRED SOIL TYPE: Average
PREFERRED LIGHT: Sun to partial shade
ATTRIBUTES: Graceful shrubs with profuse yellow blossoms; for beds, hedges, specimens
SEASON OF INTEREST: Spring to fall
FAVORITES: 'Meadowlark', 'Northern Sun', 'Spring Glory', 'Lynwood', 'Gold Tide'
QUIRKS: Improper pruning reduces flowering
GOOD NEIGHBORS: Flowering cherry, lilac, spring-flowering bulbs
WHERE IT GROWS BEST: In sun and average garden soil
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: Poor flowering due to aggressive pruning
PRUNING: Every 2-3 years, remove up to one-third of the oldest stems after blooming
CRITTER RESISTANCE: Good
SOURCE: Nursery plants
DIMENSIONS: 2-8 ft (0.6-2.4 m) toll, 4-8 ft (1.2-2.4 m) wide
Forsythia in the Landscape
The dazzling stems of forsythia, laden end to end with small, bell-shaped, golden flowers, signal us that spring has indeed arrived. Because flowers appear before leaves, forsythias are aflame with color, often for several weeks. For a preview of the show, cut stems as the buds swell and bring them indoors to bloom in a vase.
Growing 6-8 ft (1.8-2.4 m) tall and equally wide, forsythias are often used as specimen shrubs in lawns or planted along boundaries as an informal hedge. You can also combine versatile forsythias with other shrubs, place a single one at the back of a flower border, or underplant them with spring bulbs. Even when forsythias are not in flower, the arching stems of older varieties and the upright stems of newer ones appear graceful and refined. In fall the long pointed leaves turn bronzy red, prolonging this plant's season of interest.
Forsythias for Every Garden
Even though the flowers are surprisingly tolerant of light frosts, it's important to choose cultivars suited to your climate to avoid frost damage to the buds and flowers. In Zones 3 and 4, 'Meadowlark' is a good choice because its buds will open even after they have been exposed to freezes. 'Northern Sun' is another cold-hardy variety. In Zones 5 to 8, 'Spring Glory' blooms so heavily that the stems appear to have been dipped in gold. Two old-fashioned heavy bloomers are 'Spectabilis' and 'Lynwood'. New cultivars are ideal for small gardens or as a showy groundcover, ideal for a slope. 'GoldTide' is one that only reaches 20 in (50.8 cm) tall, but it spreads to 4 ft (1.2 m) wide.
Growing Forsythia
Plant out container-grown plants at anytime from late winter to early summer. When purchased in spring, forsythias will often bloom in their pots, which makes it easy to shop for an eye-catching plant. Space them so that at least half of their mature width is left between plants. You can fill in the spaces with spring-blooming bulbs. Except for irrigating as needed to keep the soil moist during the first season, forsythias require little care and are resistant to pests and diseases.
Poor flowering is usually the result of improper pruning. Avoid pruning forsythia aggressively and shaping them into tight balls. For the best show, let forsythia follow its natural growth pattern, in which long stems arise from the base of the plant, sometimes arching over to the ground when they become heavy with leaves.
To promote next year's flowers, each spring, after the flowers have faded, use lopping shears to cut off one-third of the largest, oldest, and least floriferous stems to the ground. Also remove any dead or damaged stems. But to preserve flower buds do not cut stem tips unless they crowd into walkways or other high-traffic areas. It is usually necessary to thin old stems only every 2-3 years to encourage flower production.
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