Forsythia, Forsythia – planting, cutting and care

With the forsythia, gardening enthusiasts have a real all-rounder for designing their system at their fingertips. The decorative shrub, which grows up to 3 meters high, can cope with a wide variety of light and soil conditions. When choosing the location, the optical effect can therefore be the number one decision criteria, because whether it is sunny, partially shaded or shady only plays a role in terms of maintenance. Likewise, the nature of the soil hardly influences the growth of the forsythia. The ornamental shrub does not react so well to particularly dry and calcareous soil. The best time to plant is in spring, when the frost has pulled out of the ground. At the chosen location, a planting hole is dug that is about twice as large as the root ball. In the case,

As robust as the forsythia may be, if its roots are permanently in soaked soil, they will inevitably rot. Therefore, the bottom of the planting hole is loosened with a digging fork and covered with a layer of gravel or potsherds. Put a thin layer of garden soil on top, ideally mixed with a handful of horn shavings or some compost. The forsythia is now placed in the center of the planting hole, dug in and well watered. Since it gets along well with all the other plants in the garden, there are no special features to consider with regard to its neighborhood. As a solitary plant, the planting distance should be at least 1 meter, so that it forms a spreading habit over time. As a hedge plant, a distance of 50 centimeters is considered ideal. For the planting of dwarf forsythia, a maximum of half of the values ​​mentioned apply. If the forsythia is cultivated as a container plant, good garden soil is just as suitable as a substrate, as is conventional potting soil. In this case, drainage over the water drainage hole must not be dispensed with.
maintenance

There are just a few care factors to consider:

• Water well in dry conditions
• mulch in a sunny location
• water regularly in the bucket
• no fertilization required
• Wrap the bucket with foil in winter.

Forsythia is largely resistant to diseases and pests.

To cut

Forsythia are among the trees with mesotonic growth. This means that the young shoots mostly develop in the middle of the older branches. In this way, over the years, dense, broom-like branches develop on the older shoots in the upper part, which leads to an impairment of the ability to flower. In addition, the long shoots bend outward under this weight, so that the shrub widens and becomes bare from below.

Clearance and preservation cut
As a remarkably vigorous ornamental shrub, the forsythia is preferably pruned and pruned every year, but no later than every 2 to 3 years. Since the flowers were already laid on the annual shoots in the previous year and on the short branches on the sides of the two- and three-year-old shoots, the cut is made immediately after flowering. This ensures that the shrub has enough time to plant the buds for the next year. The oldest branches are freed from excessive ramifications and shortened to a strong bud. Every 3 years at the latest, it is time to remove a third of the old shoots directly at the base of the bush. Garden friends who are aiming for a compact or round growth habit wait until June or July before cutting, because otherwise they would have to reach for the hedge trimmer twice due to the strong budding. If the forsythia form a dense hedge, the environmentally conscious gardener tolerates pruning until August or September so that the birds that often breed there are not disturbed. Only the new shoots that protrude from the hedge are cut off for the sake of appearance.

Taper cut
There may be a number of reasons why a radical taper cut of the forsythia is required. If, for example, the shrub has not been cut for several years or has been attacked by a fungal disease – which is rarely the case, however – the hobby gardener cannot avoid taking courageous action. The optimal time for pruning is winter or early spring before budding. All the branches, except for four or five of the strongest shoots, are shortened so that they are only a few centimeters above the ground. The remaining shoots are then trimmed so that they can branch into a new, well-formed crown. The chances are good that the forsythia will regenerate and return to its old beauty,

Cutting dwarf forsythias
For smaller gardens, breeders have developed dwarf forsythias that grow a maximum of 100 cm in height. Since these shrubs are not growing well and because of their short shoots branch very densely, a moderate maintenance cut is only necessary every two to three years. It is sufficient if some shoots are shortened by about a third to keep them blooming.

Incidentally, knowledgeable gardening enthusiasts carry out an additional cutting measure in winter that pursues a completely different goal. If some strong forsythia shoots are cut off on December 4th, St. Barbara’s Day, and placed in a vase, they will beautify the home with beautiful flowers for Christmas.

Multiply

Once there is a forsythia in the garden, it is no longer necessary to buy more young plants if the population is to be increased. The easy-care ornamental shrub can be propagated without any problems.

Propagation of cuttings
The ideal time to use cuttings to propagate forsythia is right after flowering. For this purpose, a shoot with a length of 10 cm to 15 cm is cut off from the tip, which is already slightly woody in the lower part. It should also have a few leaves, because in this case the new roots will form faster. Any existing buds and flowers are removed as well as the leaves at the lower end of the shoot. If the summer is warm and sunny, the cuttings can be planted in the bed straight away. It is safer, however, if they are put in a flower pot that is filled with potting soil and has a drainage hole for excess water. The pot is placed in a warm place that is not exposed to direct sunlight. A plastic bag placed over it not only ensures a warm, humid climate, but also prevents insects from laying their eggs in the substrate during the summer and the larvae from nibbling on the young roots. While the cuttings are busy rooting the flower pot until next spring, the potting soil is kept slightly moist at all times. The plastic bag is ventilated daily to prevent mold from forming underneath. As soon as the frost has cleared the ground in the next year, the young forsythia can be planted in the bed. the potting soil is kept slightly moist at all times. The plastic bag is ventilated daily to prevent mold from forming underneath. As soon as the frost has cleared the ground in the next year, the young forsythia can be planted in the bed. the potting soil is kept slightly moist at all times. The plastic bag is ventilated daily to prevent mold from forming underneath. As soon as the frost has cleared the ground in the next year, the young forsythia can be planted in the bed.

Sinker
An equally uncomplicated method of propagation works through subsidence. A strong shoot that can be pulled down to the ground is best. There the earth is loosened up a bit and a channel is created. Before the shoot is put there, experienced hobby gardeners take a sharp knife and scratch it lightly in several places in order to accelerate the root formation. The shoot is then covered with earth, with its tip still sticking out. Some stones prevent the sinker from getting up again. A clever idea is to attach it to a camping tent with pegs. The tip of the shoot is tied to a plant stick so that the young ornamental shrub grows straight up. So connected to his mother plant,

Since the ever-popular garden forsythia is a hybrid (Forsythia x intermedia), single-variety propagation by seeds is very rare.

Popular forsythia varieties

In addition to garden forsythia, breeders have developed several varieties, some of the most popular of which are presented below:

Goldrausch

• Growth height up to 300 cm
• Spread 200 cm to 300 cm
• large, yellow flowers
• The first forsythia to bloom from the beginning of March
• leaves up to 12 cm long
• hardy

Spectabilis

• forms arching overhanging shoots
• many bright yellow flowers
• wonderful foliage in autumn
• Growth height up to 300 cm
• Spread up to 200 cm
• hardy

Minigold

• popular dwarf forsythia
• Height of growth 100 cm to 150 cm
• Spread 80 cm to 130 cm
• golden yellow flowers
• deep yellow autumn colors of the foliage
• hardy

Snow Forsythia

• dainty shrub up to 150 cm in height
• white flowers
• aromatic almond scent
• ideally suited as a container plant
• Winter protection required

Lynwood

• many bright yellow flowers
• Height of growth 300 cm and more
• popular egg tree for Easter
• hardy

Mikador

• new breed
• very compact growth up to 100 cm high
• forms many branches
• long flowering period from March to May or June
• hardy

Weekend

• medium-high ornamental shrub
• Height of growth 180 cm to 250 cm
• broadly branched and dense
• golden yellow flowers March to May
• hardy

The classic forsythia varieties are ideally suited as eye-catching solitary plants and colorful privacy hedge. The dwarf forsythia ensure that even the small garden does not have to forego the play of yellow colors in early spring.

Conclusion
The vernacular calls them gold bells and could not express it more aptly; Forsythia are among the first heralds of spring and captivate the eye with a sea of ​​golden yellow flowers. In summer they beautify the garden with their lush green leaves or serve as an attractive privacy screen in the form of a dense hedge. They accept almost any location condition without any problems and thrive in all soils, as long as they are not too calcareous and dry. Forsythia does not make great demands on its care, apart from an annual maintenance pruning. As a container plant, it decorates the balcony and terrace with its bright yellow flowers as early as March. At the same time, the delicate snow forsythia with brilliant white flowers is incessantly conquering the hearts of gardening enthusiasts.