Planting, growing, caring, and pruning forsythias
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The bright yellow blooms of forsythias are hard to miss in early spring, especially in the still-sleepy landscape recovering from winter. Happily, these cheerful flowering bushes are adaptable, fast-growing, and forgiving in any soil. Learn how to plant, grow, and care for forsythia—including tips on when to prune.
About Forsythia
Forsythia are members of the olive family (Oleaceae). Although this shrub has become naturalized in much of Europe and North America, its ancestors hail mainly from East Asia—namely China and the Korean Peninsula—and one species from Europe.
As landscape plants, forsythias are suitable for planting in most of the continental United States; species and hybrid crosses are hardy from Zone 3 to Zone 8. However, blooms may be delayed in temperatures below -5° to -10° F.
Depending on the cultivar, the shrub may reach up to 10 feet in height and 12 feet in diameter, so give forsythia plenty of space unless you plan on pruning. Their yellow flowers that appear in early spring bloom on their long, arching branches. The flowers are self-sterile.
The forsythia shrub makes a vigorous border for any yard or driveway. The flowers attract birds and early pollinators, including bees and butterflies. They’re pretty in cottage gardens and winter gardens as a backdrop to spring bulbs.
Planting
Forsythia is impressively adaptable and even seems to thrive on neglect. The shrub will grow in most soils and in sun or partial shade. However, you’ll get more flowers earlier in the spring if you plant in the sun. In addition, while this shrub will tolerate even dry, poor soils, it prefers loose, well-draining soil with a pH that ranges from about 7.0 to 8.0 (neutral to slightly alkaline).
When to Plant Forsythia
The best time to plant forsythia is in the fall, while the plant is dormant.
How to Plant Forsythia Bushes
- Dig a hole at least two times wider than the root ball.
- Make sure that the top of the root ball is at ground level.
- Pack the soil firmly around the roots.
- Water deeply at the time of planting.
Growing
How to Care for Forsythia
Other than a yearly pruning, forsythia do not require much maintenance.
- Apply a fertilizer high in phosphorus in early spring each year.
- Softwood forsythia cuttings taken in late spring to early summer will root readily, allowing for easy propagation.
How to Prune Forsythia Bushes
Forsythia are spring-blooming shrubs that can get a little wild if you don’t prune. Also, it helps to keep forsythia shrubs under control to avoid overcrowding and spreading.
- Flowers bloom on old wood (last year’s growth). Prune the shrub in the spring—right after flowering! If you prune mid-summer, you will remove the buds for the following season.
- Remove older branches by cutting them off at the ground.
- Some cultivars may sucker, so remove suckers to avoid spreading.
- Old, neglected forsythias can be rejuvenated by pruning them back to almost ground level! Prune within 3 to 4 inches of the ground in late winter or early spring. They’ll produce new growth as temperatures warm and days lengthen.
How to Propagate Forsythia
It’s easy to start new forsythia from softwood cuttings. You’ll need a large container with drainage holes, a potting medium such as coarse sand or perlite, and a rooting medium.
- Cut off 6-inch-long shoots in midsummer with a sterile, sharp knife.
- Remove the leaves from the lower 3 inches of the cuttings.
- Dip the cuttings in the rooting medium and insert the lower 2 inches into a pot filled with course sand or perlite.
- Firm up, water, and let the water drain.
- Cover the pot and cuttings with a clear plastic bag.
- Place the container in sunlight. It should be bright but not direct light.
- Let your cuttings develop root systems for 6 to 8 weeks.
- Transplant into containers filled with regular potting mix. Water and let drain.
There are about 11 species of forsythia and they are primarily native to eastern Asia, with one species from Europe. Forsythia suspensa and F. viridissima were the first to be brought from Asia to Europe. Forsythia × intermedia is a hybrid of these species that was introduced in Europe about 1880.
There are many Forsythia cultivars available, some as tall as 10 feet and others (dwarf varieties) barely reaching 4 feet tall.
- ‘Lynwood Gold’ and ‘Spring Glory’ are hardy to -10°F.
- ‘Meadowlark’ is hardy to -30°F. The flowers are the classic bright yellow.
- ‘Sunrise’ is a compact hardy cultivar. The shrub is covered with small yellow flowers in early spring.
- ‘Fiesta’ is a compact 3-to-4-foot-tall shrub with variegated foliage. Leaves are green with yellow centers.
- ‘Happy Centennial’ is a low-growing cultivar developed in Canada, with light yellow flowers.
Harvesting
Forcing Forsythia Blooms Indoors
To bring spring colors into your home, try forcing forsythia indoors! Simply prune off branches in late winter or early spring and set them in water. They should bloom within a week.
Catherine Boeckmann
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