Comments on: Forsythia Pruning: Before and After

By: Lynne Gawlas

Lynne Gawlas — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:24:15 +0000

Kathy, Thanks for the pointers. I chickened out and pruned the really long branches that were crawling along the ground. They still look healthy and in fact they seem to be lifting up off the ground. I can keep giving them room, as I planted it where there is a lot of available space. For now I put some bamboo sticks 3 feet from the planting to try to keep the dogs out so the plants get a start without dealing with dog urine.

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 18:38:22 +0000

Hi, Lynne. You didn’t mention what variety of forsythia you had or how much room you had allotted for it. Different cultivars have different growing habits. Long branches along the ground might be typical for your variety. They do tend to root whenever a branch touches the ground. Many of the common forsythia varieties can easily get 5 to 6 feet wide and tall. If you didn’t give yours that much room, the long branches may just be the forsythia trying to achieve its normal size.

By: Lynne Gawlas

Lynne Gawlas — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:43:31 +0000

Hi from a novice forsythia gardener. My new plant is healthy looking but it is putting out long branches along the ground. Is this normal? There are some small branches starting to come up from the middle. I think I’m going to have to open up the area where I planted it. Should I do anything about the branches on the ground?

By: Tweets that mention Forsythia Pruning: Before and After — Cold Climate Gardening -- Topsy.com

Tue, 11 May 2010 11:35:42 +0000

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Gardora. Gardora said: Did your forsythia blossom sparsely this year? It may need pruning now: http://j.mp/afd9o6 [...]

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:52:03 +0000

My snapdragons did the same thing. My sweet peas are 6 foot vines but have never bloomed. I have an Oriental poppy in bud right now. There has been a lot of strange plant behavior this year.

By: Kathy Purdy

Kathy Purdy — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:51:00 +0000

Wait for spring, otherwise you will stimulate new growth this fall which will just get killed off.

By: mary

mary — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:32:24 +0000

i planted snapdragons in my yard the same time i planted impations and geraniums and they are just now starting to bloom.[sept15 wisconsin] isnt that strange?

By: mary

mary — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 05:28:18 +0000

i didnt do any pruning this spring cause i didnt know if i should. now it sept 15 and it is tall and scraggly but has a lot of green leaves on it. so do i prune it now or wait for spring?

By: Sally North

Sally North — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:45:25 +0000

Thank you for your pictures on pruning Forsythia. I planted about 6 1 and half feet in my backyard 2 summers ago and they are really taking off. I had my first bloom last year. This year May 2009, I noticed that the new growth of green stalks were almost as tall as me! About 5 feet now. They almost look like weeds and if I had not planted the plants myself I would swear it was. I kept the store tag on them so no once would pull them out of the ground. I even check to make sure that they were attached to the plant that is how much growth has happenend. The area that I planted 4 have taken over the other bushes I placed in front of them. I plan this weeked – July 4th to really get in there and move the plants around. I read on another site that the plants like sun and moist land. Because I am a new gardener I have had to take my time finding out which plant, tree and flowers work in my front and backyard. The Forsythia is a wonderful green plant that I am going to make a border row and even try an arch now that I know it likes my soil and yard. Next I need to figure out about those Raspberry Trees. Thanks for your pictures and info.

By: Pruning with a Reciprocating Saw — Cold Climate Gardening

Pruning with a Reciprocating Saw — Cold Climate Gardening — Wed, 13 May 2009 02:32:13 +0000

[...] is fine, when you’re talking about one forsythia or a couple of lilacs. But I’ve been eying an entire grove of Tartarian honeysuckle, an [...]