Forsythia 'Meadowlark'

I planted one shrub in a hospital landscape and it grew fast and bloomed well in northeast Illinois. This is the most commonly planted cu...Read Moreltivar of any forsythia in USDA Zones 3 & 4 and sometimes Zone 5 as it is the most cold hardy. It has a more upright and neater habit than the most commonly planted 'Lynwood Gold' Border Forsythia, and the leaves are a little lighter in color and not shiny. It was introduced to the trade from North and South Dakota Universities and developed at the Arnold Arboretum from a cross between the Early X Albanian Forsythias. I think these crosses from the Early Forsythia are the best of this genus. Still it does not have good fall color nor pretty bark and needs pruning to not get unkempt in time.

i was sold on this plant because it was guaranteed to bloom even in very cold climates. Well, it blooms, but very disappointingly. The f...Read Morelowers are sparce and a greenish-pale yellow that barely is noticeable among the other pale green spring colors. I'm sorry I wasted my precious sunny space on it.

It's growing happily in a bad patch of ground (some petroleum contamination) and gets bigger and yellower every season.