With spring hopefully just around the corner,I can’t wait to see the Forsythia in bloom forget the crocuses and the glory of the snow hardy little fellows though they are ,that force their pretty heads above the snow long before it is actually gardening season, here in the Niagara area you can tell spring gardening is really here when the Forsythia begins to bloom.

Forsythia is a group of flowering plants belonging to olive family, they are also known as” Golden Bell”; they are deciduous shrubs typically growing to a height of 1–3 m (3–9 ft.) The flowers are produced in the early spring before the leaves.

This shrub holds an extra special place in my heart as it is the first sign of spring in my garden with its extrovert display of bright yellow flowers.

Bloom Time: Mar – Apr

Hardiness Zone:4a and above

Height:4′ – 7′

Color: Yellow

Light Requirements:

Full sun to part shade

Garden snobs may thumb their noses at the forsythia, but how wonderful those sprays of vivid yellow flowers look after our long gray Canadian winters.

Even though in my opinion the blooming period is way too short – and afterwards you’re left with a to some, boring-looking plain green shrub for the rest of the summer – I still believe this is the herald of spring in our climate, that no garden should be without. Even though it doesn’t wear its showy yellow dress for very long, in its plain green form it serves as an excellent hedge or background plant, as it is in full leaf, in my yard, long before any other tree or shrub has had time to even contemplate putting forth a leaf.

Pruning Forsythia:

Blooms form on last year’s growth, not on new growth. So, it’s paramount to prune them immediately after the blooms have faded. You can hard prune old growth to as little as four inches from the ground.

Don’t worry about such a severe pruning, these strong fast growing plants will grow back at a very fast rate.

The Forsythia is an extremely fast growing, up to one to two feet per year; pruning often becomes a necessity, rather than a choice. If grown singly or in small groups, they look amazing if left to grow naturally. If grown as a hedge, or alongside the house walls, pruning is often necessary to maintain a more manicured appearance.

The Forsythia is very easy to grow and keep happy. Established plants require almost no care at all,. They thrive in most soils. But the soil needs to be well drained.

Water plants during long dry spells as needed. Fertilize with a high phosphorous fertilizer once a year in early spring to encourage the production of its vivid yellow flowers, forsythias are extremely hardy plants, pestered by with few disease or insect problems.

Propagation of Forsythia:

Forsythia can be grown from cuttings, choose stems from new growth. Cut a three to six inch section, and place the end into damp soil, make certain the soil does not dry out to foster rooting. You may also take cuttings of new growth, make them between 12 to 18 in length strip the leaves from lower 6 in portion , put them in a bucket or vase with a little sugar water, top up water on regular basis, roots should show within about 6 weeks.

Transplant rooted cuttings at anytime. However, the transplanting of mature Forsythia plants is best done while the plants are dormant period in the winter months.

Forcing Indoor Blooms

Forcing Forsythia into blooming indoors is easy. Just cut off a few branches, and bring them indoors and put them in a vase with water. Within a couple weeks, the branches will flower with their bright and cheerful, acidic yellow blooms and how’s that for a mid winter treat.