Forsythia gives its name to an entire genus of plants in the family Oleaceae, which is the beautiful olive family (including such trees as the Fringe tree and shrubs such as the Lilac). All over the Midwest you can see the bright golden blooms of this shrub in early to mid April. Sometimes late frost with catch them at this time and ruin the show, but usually they are a harbinger of springtime and cheer the landscape in a way few springtime shrubs can match.
Forsythias bloom on old wood, so once a frost ruins their show, that is it -until the following year.
Not everyone is a fan of the forsythia bush, but if they are well grown with plenty of room (and not hedge-pruned within an inch of their lives) the forsythia is a beautiful addition to a landscape. I had wonderful childhood memories of playing under their arching branches. When not in bloom they have smooth bright mid-green leaves, not particularly showy, but serviceable.
Forsythia Origin
Native to China, Korea, and Europe.
The Look of these Spring Blooming Shrubs
The four petaled flowers are star-like bellflower shapes and cluster along the stems of the bush, making streams of bright yellow arches. Nondescript fall foliage color.
These are often very large shrubs with some notable cultivars that are low growing. they can either be arching or upright in form, be sure to check the details on the named variety that you wish to buy. Their leaves are a dark to mid-green with a soft sheen to them.
Forsythia varietiesHow To Grow Forsythias
Since the flowers are the glory of this plant, be sure to grow in full sun so that they have the maximum flower production.
They take average growing conditions in soil and moisture, and dislike poorly drained situations. Hardy, yet the cultivar will make a difference in cold climates. Iowa State University does not recommend the common “Lynwood Gold” or “Spring Beauty” for the coldest climates, but they do give a thumbs up to these cultivars:
Cold Climate Recommended Forsythias
- Forsythia x intermedia ‘Meadowlark’,with a spreading, arching form
- ‘Northern Sun’, also spreading & arching
- Forsythia x intermedia ‘Sunrise’, somewhat compact
- Forsythia x intermedia ‘Northern Gold’, an upright form
- ‘Gold Tide’ is a very low growing groundcover shrub
Pruning a Forsythia Bush
A spring bloomer on old wood means no summer pruning if you wish to have flowers. Prune right after the spring bloom is over. If you need to rejuvenate an old shrub you can hard prune them to 3 to 4 inches of the ground in late February and March, and they will grow back. Otherwise, it is best to prune out old branches every other year. Every other year, so as to retain blooming branches each year.
Pruning large shrubs
One way to renew large, overgrown shrubs is to cut them back over a three-year period. Begin by removing one-third of the large, old stems at ground level in late winter (March or early April). The following year (again in late winter), prune out one-half of the remaining old stems. Also, thin out some of the new shoots. Retain several well-spaced, vigorous shoots and remove all the others. Finally, remove all of the remaining old growth in late winter of the third year. Also, do some additional thinning of the new shoots.
A second way to renew a large, overgrown lilac is to cut the entire plant back to within 4 to 6 inches of the ground in late winter. This type of renewal pruning will induce a large number of shoots to develop during the growing season. In late winter of the following year, select and retain several strong, healthy shoots and remove all others at ground level.
Head (cut) back the tallest shoots to just above a bud to encourage branching. Large, overgrown honeysuckles, forsythias, spireas, and dogwoods can be rejuvenated in this manner. Lilacs renewed by this method may not bloom for 3 or 4 years. Pink-flowering spireas usually bloom by mid-summer of the same year.
Once overgrown shrubs have been rejuvenated, pruning should be a regular part of a home gardener’s maintenance program. Most deciduous shrubs can be kept healthy and vigorous by removing a few of the oldest stems every 2 to 4 years.
Forsythia
Forsythia
Fun Facts
- The branches can be forced for winter flowers, bringing a bit of sunshine into the house.
- The plant was named after William Forsyth, an 18th century Scottish horticulturist.
- How not to spell this shrub’s name: “forsynthia” or “forcynthia” ~ there is no “n” in there.
- Forsythia fruits are used in Chinese traditional medicine for antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties.
