Forsythia

Why Won’t My Forsythia Bloom?

– Posted in: Forsythia

The forsythias bloomed later than usual this year, sometimes overlapping with the earliest lilacs--but they did bloom. If yours didn't bloom, here are some things to consider: The flowers for forsythia are set the year before they bloom. That means if you prune your shrub too late in the season, you will cut off the [...]

Forsythia Pruning: Before and After

– Posted in: Forsythia

Forsythia before pruning beganBack in April, I discussed my upcoming plans to prune my forsythia bush. It wasn't flowering very much, and my commenters agreed with me that it needed a heavy pruning. Some even suggested cutting the whole thing down to the ground. But I felt a little too nervous to do that. On [...]

Pruning strategy for forsythia

– Posted in: Forsythia, How-to, Plant info

Remember the forsythia I pruned so that I could force some branches? It doesn't look so floriferous out in the open, does it? (For comparison, check out the forsythias here.) When I'm faced with a plant that's not doing as well as expected, I try to analyze the situation before taking action. In the case [...]

Pruning forsythia in mud season

– Posted in: Forsythia, Mud Season, Plant info
Forced forsythia in vase

The standard advice for pruning spring-blooming shrubs is to prune them no later than two weeks after they're done blooming. This is because most spring-flowering shrubs, at least, all those commonly grown, develop their flower buds on the previous year's wood. So if you prune them in high summer, or autumn, you are cutting off [...]

Huh?

– Posted in: Forsythia

This is a photo of my Forsythia 'Meadowlark' blooming--sparsely, I grant you, but nevertheless blooming--in September. If I hadn't been checking for signs of the colchicums recently planted in this area, I'm sure I never would have noticed the yellow blossoms, so it is entirely possible this shrub has done this other years without my [...]