Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood Variety’ has to be one of my favourite spring flowers. I mean just look at it, nothing else required in this vase at all, it speaks for itself. Forsythia makes an excellent cut flower but it does have a short vase life unfortunately.
As a shrub it’s also spectacular, flowering from February to April it creates a beautiful warm glow in the garden, almost like a promise of a warm spring and summer.
However I have some issues with how some people maintain their Forsythia. You really shouldn’t prune it before it has flowered otherwise you will not get a good spray of flowers. It should have stems of varied height protruding out like a blaze of sparkles. If you prune it in Autumn and Winter you will not get flowers, as it flowers on last years growth, the last cut should be made in July/August. Pruning after this time will only give you foliage and won’t attract those early pollinators like bees into the garden who are on the lookout flowers for their first foods so make sure you have some good nectar rich foods in your garden to support the hungry wildlife.
The deciduous shrub can grow up to 10 feet tall and belongs to the olive family Oleacea. It prefers sun or partial shade and will grow in most soils. It can also be propagated by semi-hardwood cuttings.
If you have some Forsythia growing in your garden, take a couple of snips, pop it in a beautiful vase and share on social media tagging me! @bohoraspberry, I would love to see your creations too.
Thanks for stopping by,
Bo x
The Bohemian Raspberry 
Great plant! I’ve got three and will try to post a pic over next few days! Interesting point about stems of varying length/height. One of mine is more mound than starburst. I shall attend to this when pruning!
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That’s great Anne, I can’t wait to see your pics! That’s just my opinion on how I like it pruned/shaped and what makes it look spectacular to me, everyone’s taste differs. The only thing that should be stuck to is the pruning timing, other than that can be any shape you like! 🙂
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My baby (planted last year) is currently wrapped in a blanket and covered in a plastic bag. It was fully budded when our weather decided to drop into the teens at night, and I was determined to see it bloom. Crossing my fingers for warmer days soon. Will post a photo if it does.
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Forsythia looks so spectacular at this time of the year. And it’s amazing how many different shades of yellow there are!
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I’d been enjoying seeing these lovely yellow blooms recently but couldn’t remember what it was – thankyou! It’s a great time of year seeing the blossom coming out ☺
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Oh! In my previous house I used to have one and I pruned it wrong … made that fatal mistake that did mean I had no flowers that year! That was 5 years ago, and since then I learnt not to make that mistake, anyway I do not have it in my new house but I now know to look up before attacking a shrub if I am not sure!
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