| Overview |
Nothing announces the arrival of spring like
the spectacular sight of hundreds of small
yellow flowers on a forsythia bush. As soon
as temperatures begin to rise, these bushes
burst into bloom and put on a show that usually
lasts for weeks. These fast growing plants
shoot up arching branches that result in
a shrub 7 to 10 feet tall and wide. They
are easy to grow, requiring only full sun
and good drainage. Although you can buy forsythias
at many locations, including grocery and
discount stores, good garden centers and
mail order nurseries sell varieties that
offer better color, shape, and hardiness.
Forsythias are easy to buy from online sites,
as they are inexpensive and easy to ship.
Look for the following when buying
forsythias:
- Forsythias come in a range of colors from
gold to bright to pale yellow. Look for varieties
like 'Spring Glory' (bright) or 'Lynwood'
and 'Spectabilis' (golden). 'Golden Times'
also has yellow toned leaves.
- Make sure you have room to grow the variety
you are considering. Forsythia
look best
if they are allowed to grow
naturally in
their arching form, resulting
in a fair size
bush. Those with smaller spaces
should think
about growing varieties such
as 'Goldtide,'
a small, graceful, lemon colored
type that
only grows two feet. If you
must have a larger
forsythia, you can keep the
plant in bounds
by cutting the whole bush down
to about 5
inches after it flowers. It
will soon grow
back to a good size.
- Don't be tempted to use forsythias as a foundation
planting, as you will have
to do too much
sheering to keep the plants
in control. This
means that you will be cutting
off next year's
flowers. Forsythias pruned
into formal shapes
are not effective. They can
be planted as
an informal, unclipped hedge
or planted in
masses on hillsides or along
property borders.
- Check to make sure the variety you want is
cold hardy in your area. 'Meadowlark' and
'Northern Sun' do better in colder regions.
Remember that forsythia branches
can be forced
into bloom by cutting them and
bringing them
indoors several weeks before
they bloom outside. |
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