Maureen Gilmer
Family
Oleaceae
Botanical Name
Forsythia
Plant Common Name
Forsythia
General Description
Forsythias are harbingers of spring, beloved for their early, prolific display of brilliant yellow blooms. The genus Forsythia is comprised of about 11 species, one from southeastern Europe the rest from eastern Asia. This genus was named in honor of William Forsyth, one of the founders of the organization that went on to become the Royal Horticulture Society. He never saw his namesake plants, as the first Forsythia was named several decades after his passing.
These upright, deciduous, occasionally semi-evergreen shrubs possess mostly hollow, angled branches with foliage held in opposite pairs. The leaves are usually simple (without lobes or indentations), or trifoliate (three-lobed), with smooth or serrated margins. Showy, tubular yellow blooms with four spreading petals generally appear before the leaves, and are borne singly in the leaf axils (joints between the leaves and stems). The fruits that follow are capsules which split to release a few slightly winged seeds.
There are many Forsythia cultivars available which vary in size, habit and bloom. ‘Meadowlark’ is a hybrid between early forsythia ( F. ovata) and Albanian forsythia ( F. europaea), and is grown for its extreme cold-tolerance, brilliant yellow flowers and pretty purple and gold fall foliage. Forsythia x intermedia is a tried and true deciduous shrub whose cheerful, bright yellow blooms are among the first to appear in spring. Greenstem forsythia (Forsythia viridissima), native to China, is a stout, deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub with greenish bark and burgundy to gold fall foliage.
Hardiness and cultural requirements vary among species, but generally, Forsythia prefer full to part sun locations and clay or loamy soils, and some are tolerant of a wide range of conditions. Give these shrubs room to spread, as they can become quite large. Most do not take well to shearing, and should be pruned with discretion just after flowering if at all, so the buds for next year’s blooms can develop in the fall. These lovely shrubs are effective planted in masses or groups, and their stems may be cut and brought indoors for forcing into bloom in late winter.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
9 - 6
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USDA Hardiness Zone
5 - 9
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Sunset Zone
A2, A3, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19
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Plant Type
Shrub
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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Height
8'-10' / 2.4m - 3.0m
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Width
10'-20' / 3.0m - 6.1m
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Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
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Native To
China, Korea
Ornamental Features
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Flower Interest
Showy
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Flower Color
Yellow
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Foliage Color (Spring)
Dark Green
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Foliage Color (Summer)
Dark Green
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Foliage Color (Fall)
Purple
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Bark Color
Brown
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Fragrant Flowers
No
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Fragrant Fruit
No
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Fragrant Foliage
No
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Bark or Stem Fragrant
No
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Flower Petal Number
Single
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Repeat Bloomer
No
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Showy Fruit
No
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Edible Fruit
No
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Showy Foliage
No
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Foliage Texture
Medium
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Foliage Sheen
Matte
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Evergreen
No
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Showy Bark
No
