Forsythia Bush

Forsythia bush, scientific name Forsythia intermedia is a landscaping shrub, well adapted in temperate climatic conditions. Sharing family with olives, the genus forsythia comprises 11 species indigenous to Asia and Europe. As far as plant description is concerned, forsythia bush is deciduous and grows to a height of about 3-9 feet from the ground. Leaves are simple or trifoliate (3 leaflets) borne in opposite phyllotaxy. Comes spring and forsythia bush will be loaded with bright yellow blooms. No wonder, forsythia bush is widely grown in parks and yards.

Forsythia Bush: Growing and Care

Prize the beauty of spring welcoming yellow flower by growing forsythia bush in your garden. The two widely grown cultivars are F. intermedia and F. suspensa, with the former variety more popular than the latter one. They are extremely hardy, thus requiring less effort for maintaining healthy plants. Hence, even if you do not have a green thumb, growing forsythia is not an issue. In short, you will not get any excuse to give for not planting this lovely plant. Discussed below are some tips for forsythia bush planting and care:

Forsythia Bush Variety
Based on your garden plans, select suitable forsythia bush cultivar. While some varieties grow to a mere 1-2 feet height, others can develop to more than 8 feet. Most of the species are hardy within USDA zones 4-9. Hence, hardiness is not a prime concern, while choosing forsythia cultivar. Rather, you can take into account the plant height, flower color and flower size for selecting forsythia bush.

Forsythia Bush Propagation
The best method for propagating forsythia bush is stem cutting. Commercial propagation is done as soon as flowering period is over (late spring) and continues till early summer. Another interesting way is placing weight over the branches and forcing them to touch ground soil. With time, the lower boughs will develop roots, after which cutting and transplanting forsythia bush is done.

Forsythia Bush Planting
Forsythia bush thrives well in full sun, though it can tolerate partial shade conditions. The soil should be rich and well-drained for healthy growth of forsythia. Accordingly, you can supplement garden soil with peat moss and farmyard compost in order to restore plant nutrients. You can use forsythia for mass plantation, shrub borders and screening purposes. Either way, forsythia will liven up the yard with showy blossoms.

Forsythia Bush Care
Even though forsythia bush is adaptable to highly polluted areas and less hospitable areas, providing optimal growth conditions is best for timely flowering. Watering schedule is not specific, you can irrigate forsythia bush whenever the top soil dries out. Applying an all-purpose liquid fertilizer in mid February will bring about heavy blooms. Though resistant to most pests, weevils, bugs, fungus and aphids may infest forsythia plants, when they are exposed to prolonged stressed conditions.

Forsythia Bush Pruning
So, how to prune forsythia bush? It is to be borne in mind that flowers are borne in the last season's growth, prior to development of leaves. Hence, the best time for forsythia pruning is when the blooms start fading in color. Mark the lower branches (about 4 inches from ground) and diseased twigs to be pruned down. Removing one-fourth of old branches is sufficient to promote healthy growth of forsythia bush.

Similar to other shrubs and bushes, pruning is a basic gardening routine for maintenance of healthy forsythia bush. Other than yearly feeding and pruning, forsythia bush caring is quite easy. Being one of the earliest spring-flowering plants, your forsythia bush will bear spectacular blossoms as soon as spring arrives. Oftentimes, hobbyists practice the technique of inducing flowers by the end of winter.