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Forsythia

Forsythia x intermedia always enhances the landscape during spring.  The bright yellow flowers really stand out with breathtaking beauty wherever you plant them.  Around my neighborhood, so many people like to line their driveways with these shrubs or place them around the perimeter of their properties.  They do seem to provide a good screen for privacy, which is especially useful if you don't have a fence demarcating your property line.  I highly recommend that you ask your local nursery for help when choosing these shrubs, because there are several varieties from which to plant. 

 

The landscape is ablaze in bright yellow.
These particular ones get a minimum amount of
pruning, hence their wild appearance.


 
Here's a closeup of these pretty flowers.
A few branches in a vase make a beautiful
spring arrangement.

 

This shrub is down by a glade where we have
 spore-bearing fronds of some ostrich ferns. 


 
 The flowers bloom before their leaves appear
and their color is just gorgeous.


 
A good thing about Forsythia is that they're not difficult to care for.  They do need a bit of space to grow, but as long as you have good draining soil and can offer them full sun, they will fare quite nicely in the landscape.  If you like the wild look of these shrubs there really is no need to prune them every year.  However, if you want a more formal and upright shape, it's best to do your pruning right after bloom; doing it too early or too late will inhibit next year's growth.  You'll want to cut off about 1/4 of your old growth branches right down to the ground.  How do you tell which is old growth and which is new?  Old growth branches will have blooms on them and new ones will not.  If you have some space around your home, think about planting one or two of these this coming fall.  You'll be glad you did.

Comments

  1. ChristianApril 19, 2011 at 11:44 AM

    I'll never forget, Forsythia was the first flower I ever knew by name, I believe it was my kindergarten teacher who first brought it in and showed it to us. Nice post

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good Things by DavidApril 19, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    Thank you Christian! These are truly beautiful shrubs to have around one's home.

    ReplyDelete

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