Can we talk about Forsythias

I accidentally posted in Perennials forum. Pls post your comments in this thread. thanks.

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/668331/

I have "Lynwood Gold" (I think) that I planted last spring. I don't know if it was leaf scorch or some kind of rust, but mine had brown spots and defoliated a little early. Now it looks like it may try to leaf back out and it is not even winter yet. I'll keep this one but I'm not buying anymore.

Would I be out of place to say that they are not exactly my favorite bush? Here in MD they are too common trying to be a hedge or foundation plant and the only thing I find as positive is the early spring bloom ( yes I do still like to see them) and the toughness. They want to send out 6-8' of new branch every year, so most of them end up getting sheared. If left on their own, they grow into a huge arching tangled mass. I see them sold in nuseries full of bloom. I planted a row at a school about three years ago and they haven't bloomed very well yet, but once started, they should go forever.
Well there, I gues I talked about forsythias! hope I didn't bore everyone.

I transplanted a few sticks of it that had started on its own last summer. It must be tough stuff because it survived my technique in July. I have my second thoughts, too, because it does become a big ungainly mess. I do like the early blooms though I'm thinking witch hazel would be more interesting - I never see that around here. I'll see how much pruning I have to do to keep it in bounds. If I have to essentially shear it, I'll take it out because I don't like that look.

There is a miniature version now. Supposed to max out at 2 feet.

Forsythia is something I really prefer to see in someone else's yard, I think.

Ungainly mess, well that about describes what I have. For some reason I thought you could trim me like boxwood (eventually, at least). maybe not so rigid, but in a matter to fit in a rather formal bed. If somebodyy doesn't say something nice about this plant pretty quick, me thinks I'm gonna yank it out,lol

Sometimes you'll see it trying to be a sheared bush, but that doesn't show off the bloom very well, if you manage to keep the bloom in betwen your shearings, which must be some tricky timing. Don't expect a tight hedge. I almost think the only way to have it is to have a specimen and cut all to a foot right as the bloom fades, so you get long arching branches for the following spring. The only reason I planted it at the school was that it was free for the digging, and better than a blank brick wall. I'll probably hate it in a few years, except for the two weeks each spring that it blooms.

While we are talking about Forsythia...anybody have good things to say about the more interesting cultivars. This page has a number of different Forsythias: http://www.springmeadownursery.com/plants_f.htm

I posted a picture of 'Fiesta' in PlantFiles: http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/100663/

I was not real impressed with the variegation as it was pretty subtle on the specimen that I saw...though that could be due to the time of year or the growing conditions.

- Brent

Brent, I'm not going to revisit right now the sites you reference, but you are correct that there looks to be a lot of forsythia choice nowadays.

My (free) forsythia sticks are the old fashioned big unkempt bush. When I do some serious selecting and money-spending, I am going to look again at the smaller, tidier forsythias.

Dang those catalogs! I know I saw forsythias perfectly, immaculately pruned. Ugh, they tricked me with their fancy pictures.

I'm sure what i have dealt with are old cheap ordinary ones.

Vossner, I suspect you may have the same problem that I think I'm going to have. After researching I found out that forsythias have to have a certain number of chilling hours in the winter to be able to flower. Our winters here don't get that cold. If mine doesn't flower this spring I may rip it out.

I love mine!! I trim them up twice a year. Before I started trimming them they were a tangled mess...now I have them shaped, and just love them. I have started a bunch of them and plan to try some topiaries in the yard with them. Also they make a GREAT barrier between us & our neighbors when left to grow naturally!!
Hope this helps change your mind about yanking them up. If the rain will let up, I will try to get some pix tomorrow, if you'd like to see the ones I have trimmed.
Sue

The old, cheap ordinary ones almost took an eye out once when trying to prune them back :( After that episode, I cut the darned thing down and had it removed with a backhoe! Bought one of the new compact varieties, 'Citrus Swizzle' from RareFind Nursery this year http://www.rarefindnursery.com/index.cfm/action/productdetail/product_id/3945.htm - should be interesting. If you want to plant another Forsythia in its place, 'Fiesta' mentioned by Brent above has nice variegated foliage and attractive red stems. 'Kumson' is also nice with its unique variegation. My favorite in our gardens - 'Golden Times', gold and green variegated foliage that holds in the heat of the summer, almost looking like it's in "bloom" all year - only fault is it's another vigorous Forsythia but a pruning now and then doesn't keep it from putting on a show the following spring.

now that is attractive. note that it has room to spread. yes the old overgrown ones can be lethal when you try to get down in. If I'm guessing the scale right, it's easily 12 feet wide to the tips, or more.
I look forward to Sue's pictures.

Sorry...it was anothe rcold and yucky day today, so I cleaned house all day...yucky too...lol...but they say 70's and SUNNY...yippee...tomorrow.

Gotta agree that's a good-looking forsythia, rcn48.

hey Sue, you get a late pass. it is drop dead gorgeous here today (thurs) and i also think house cleaning is much yucckier than gathering and hauling piles of wet gritty leaves, when the weather is like this!!

I think it's drop dead gorgeous everywhere

WHOOOOOO...it wa s abeautiful day here too...and I got so busy I forgot to take pix ...lol
Maybe my brain will be better tomorrow.....even though it is suppose to be even nicer tomorrow...I did put a note on the fridge to remind me...lol

my neighbor's forsythia, along my driveway. It's just not enough space to let it do it's thing.

And a representative bush, showing the results of years of various attempts to keep it in bounds. Technically belongs to the neighbor, so I figure he gets final say, and he has never protested what I've done to my side. But I don't want to be too intrusive. (There's a language barrier, and I just don't know how to go around that and negotiate a coordinated plan too.) trying to reduce the big old branches to stimulate new sprouts from the bottom.

Gorgeous again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Proves that beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

you knew I mean gorgeous weather, not a gorgeous bush that I had in that last picture!!!!!

Heh, heh. Nope, thought you meant the forsythia after you neatened it up!

"almost took an eye out once when trying to prune them back"= ;-(