Forsythias

The forsythia is perhaps the most recognizable shrub when it is in full bloom. Those masses of yellow flowers when almost nothing else is in bloom are the first real sign of spring. After the flush of yellow blooms, the leaves appear. They are a very nice shade of dark green, and offer a calm backdrop to any perennials or annuals that will bloom later in the season. Forsythia is best used in a mass planting in a corner of your yard, or as a long, informal hedge. The worst thing to do to forsythia is to try to shear it into a formal shape. Shaping it into cubes or spheres not only undermines the beautiful natural arching habit of the forsythia, but will also make it so the plant will only bloom on the very tips of its branches. If you have a formal garden, this may not be the shrub for you. But if you have a more informal, naturalistic landscape, the forsythia can't be beat.

Forsythia can get anywhere from six to nine feet tall, and equally as wide. It is very low maintenance, thriving in nearly any soil as long as it isn't waterlogged. It will produce the most flowers when planted in full sun, but I have mine in part shade and am very happy with the amount of blooms I get. Forsythia should be pruned after bloom so that you don't sacrifice any of the cheerful flowers. The only pruning I ever do on mine is removing the dead wood. Over time, the bush will benefit from occasional removal of the oldest, thickest branches. Once these are removed, small, new branches will take their place, giving you more blossoms.

I don't do much as far as fertilizer goes, either. Every spring, I scratch a cup of organic granular fertilizer (such as Plantone) into the soil around the base of the shrub. Then, when the buds just start to leaf out, I foliar feed with diluted fish emulsion.

It is also fairly simple to propagate more forsythias through layering. Layering is a simple process. In early spring, select a branch that is long enough to bend to the ground. Dig a hole about a foot deep to bend the branch into. Nick the bark near a leaf bud, and dip the cut into rooting hormone (If you don't have rooting hormone, it's not necessary. It will just go faster if you have some.) Then, bend the branch into the hole, making sure your cut is in contact with the soil. Place a brick or stone on the cut branch to hold it in place, and back fill. To keep the end of the branch upright, just stake it. By fall, you should have enough roots to cut the branch off of the mother plant just before the root ball, and plant it in its new home. If you don't have a decent sized root ball by fall, just bury it all again and wait until spring. Voila, new plants! And since forsythias are fairly fast growers, you will have nice sized shrubs in just a season or two.

I have several forsythias in my yard, and I can't imagine not having them. For the tiny amount of work they require, they give plenty of bang for the buck. And I'm all in favor of any sign that we are at the end of another long, cold, gray Michigan winter. ITGO