| In all its glory, there is nothing finer in a spring | | | | your Forsythia as soon as the flowers begin to |
| garden than a Forsythia in bloom. Whatever | | | | fade. Once this begins to happen, out with the |
| variety you have, they add an explosion of colour | | | | secateurs as it is time to prune your Forsythia. |
| when you need it most. To ensure continuous | | | | How to Correctly Prune A Forsythia. |
| shows, now is the correct time to prune. | | | | Once the time to prune has arrived, it is always |
| Pruning Your Forsythia | | | | advisable to remove around one third of the |
| The is one of the most wonderful additions to | | | | growth that is present. As you move down the |
| any garden and can add a stunning show of | | | | stem, you should trim just above a leaf joint in a |
| colour (an explosion of golden yellow) to the early | | | | slanted fashion (this will allow water to run off and |
| spring time display. | | | | reduce risk of disease). |
| But the Forsythia has proved troublesome for | | | | Of course, once you have pruned your Forsythia, |
| many when it comes to pruning. Allow me to | | | | you could always pot up the off cuttings using a |
| guide you through the correct steps of pruning. | | | | 5" pot, compost and vermiculite. This is a great |
| When you decide to prune the Forsythia, it will | | | | time to propagate your Forsythia so do not just |
| reward you with masses of wonderful, golden | | | | compost those clippings! |
| yellow flowers year after year. If you decide to | | | | Depending on the age and type of Forsythia you |
| leave it alone, you will amass an abundance of | | | | are growing, you can of course be a little more |
| green leaves with a sprinkling of golden yellow at | | | | harsh when it comes to pruning. But cutting back |
| the top of this growth...not a good choice in my | | | | the low lying growth to the ground you will |
| opinion and I am sure you will agree. | | | | encourage new growth from the ground up that |
| So, how do you get the pruning correct? | | | | will form the basis of a strong bush in years to |
| It is not to difficult and one you get it right, the | | | | come. |
| following years will become a breeze. The | | | | Hard pruning in this manner, should be carried out |
| Forsythia is similar to summer fruiting raspberries | | | | no more than once every 2 to 3 years. |
| in which is will flower on the growth made the | | | | In Summary |
| previous year. | | | | - Do not leave it too late. Prune as soon as the |
| In order for the Forsythia to produce the flower, | | | | flowers begin to fade |
| it will require an early prune and a lengthy season | | | | - Do not be afraid. Clip down to a healthy leaf |
| in which to re-grow the flowering stems that | | | | joint and all will be well |
| have been pruned. | | | | - Hard prune some varieties every 2 to 3 years |
| When to prune | | | | almost down to the ground |
| To ensure you get the timing right, always prune | | | | - Propagate your clippings, more plants for free! |