Forsythia Advantages

Forsythia - also known as golden bells.

One advantage of forsythias, according to some gardeners, is that they let you know when it's time to plant other early crops, such as radishes, peas, sweet pea flowers, and poppies. Once your forsythias are in full bloom, which will vary somewhat from year to year, it should be safe to put those other seeds in the ground.

In addition to just being attractive shrubs, forsythias are good investments for your landscape, as they’re long-lived and take little care beyond annual trimming. They perform well in most soils, but like many other plants do best in well-drained sites.

These lovely yellow-flowering shrubs foretell the coming of spring are hardy in Zone 4 (flower bud hardy to Zone 5). Forsythias grow and flower in full sun or in light shade. Pruning should be done immediately after flowering, as the plants bloom on wood produced the previous summer. Older branches can be cut back severely, and others trimmed to the desired length. Older plants that don’t bloom at all should be cut to the ground; within two years, they should begin to bloom again – stronger than ever.

Now, if I can just get my dad to by into this. He views Forsythia as he does Wisteria and White Pines. I need to keep him and his bow saw and loppers away from these plants...

See Sunday, May 6, 2007 posting labeled - George "Charlie" Washington.