Forsythia

Forsythia (Forsythia × intermedia)

Border Forsythia, Hybrid Forsythia

Full to part sun, moderately moist to well-drained, tolerates clay; pH 5.5–7.5; moderate drought tolerance once established; flowers more reliably in full sun.

8–12 feet tall and wide in species form; compact cultivars ('Lynwood Gold', 'Kumson') stay 5–7 feet; blooms March–April with bright yellow flowers on bare stems before leaf emergence; deciduous; spreads by layering where arching stems contact soil.

Propagation: hardwood cuttings in fall root easily; softwood cuttings in summer under mist.

Native region: Not native to Tennessee; hybrid of eastern Asian species; naturalized escape in some Tennessee counties.

Forsythia is the most widely planted early-spring flowering shrub in Middle Tennessee, valued primarily for its reliable yellow display in late February and March. Bloom failure is the most common complaint — it is almost always caused by late winter pruning or fall pruning that removes the flowering wood formed the previous summer. Flowers form on second-year and older wood; prune only immediately after bloom is complete, then allow new growth to develop through the remainder of the season. Forsythia in massed plantings can become overgrown and twiggy; rejuvenation pruning by removing one-third of the oldest canes to the ground each year over three years restores vigor and flower density without the shock of a hard cutback. No significant pest or disease problems occur in Tennessee landscapes.