forsythia always bloom before leafing out?

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srkrause Boulder Creek, CA(Zone 9a) Mar 25, 2008

Does forsythia always bloom before leafing out? I got 2 last year from different people. One is in full bloom with no leaves. The other has not bloomed and now has leaves. Are they fussy? Suggestions?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Mar 25, 2008

I haven't done anything with forsythias since I moved here from Ohio, but back there I don't remember ever seeing one where the flowers weren't ahead of the leaves. I think when the blooms have been going for a while it's not unusual to have the leaves starting, but it's possible that your one that has fully leafed out may not bloom this year. (if you just planted them last year that's not unheard of--many shrubs will take a year or two to get established before they give you much in the way of blooms). I could be wrong on this though, my experience with the genus is pretty limited, and our climate could make them behave differently than they would in a colder climate too.

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cfarres Deering, NH(Zone 4b) Mar 26, 2008

I have had forsythia decline to bloom when they were in too much shade. They always leafed out, just no blooms. The ones I have in full sun have always bloomed before getting their leaves.

However, as ecrane mentions, being in a warmer climate may do strange things to their behaviour.

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MaVieRose High Desert, CA(Zone 8a) Apr 03, 2008

i used to have Forsythia in my old house in L.A., the bushes bloom every spring. the leaves come after the bush finished blooming. sorry i do not remember the specie, been long time ago. this link should help http://www.gardenersnet.com/tree/forsythia.htm , http://www.paghat.com/forsythia.html , http://landscaping.about.com/cs/shrubsbushes/p/forsythia.htm

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 03, 2008

I was at a nursery near my house the other day, and all the forsythias they had there had blooms that were at their peak or starting to fade a bit, while the leaves were still very small and just getting started. So I think we can rule out California weather making things behave differently (the grower was also in California). I suspect your one that got leaves first isn't going to bloom this year. I wouldn't worry yet though, your plants are fairly new and it can take a couple years for them to really get going sometimes.

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