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Nothing Mellow About This Yellow
Written By: Jeannie Chambers - The Accidental Gardener | Issue: 2015/04 - April
One of the first signs of spring is the beautiful For Cynthia bush.
What?
You’ve never heard of For Cynthia? Don’t worry, not many other people have either. It’s not that it’s a rare plant, on the contrary. It’s very….let me see how to say it nicely, it’s a prolific landscape addition. Most people know it as Forsythia. For years, the only way I could remember the name of ‘that yellow bush that’s everywhere’ was to give it a ‘remembrance name’ (that’s what I call a name I’ve made up to help me remember the real name).
The Forsythia plant is a deciduous bush that can grow upwards of 10-12 feet if you let it. It can be allowed to grow ‘Einstein style’ with wild and wooly sprigs shooting out like fireworks, or you may choose to ‘Disney’ your plants by pruning them into round or square hedges. If you choose a formal hedging style, you won’t have as many blooms because the forsythia has a natural tendency to arch in an irregular rounded shape, and cutting would thwart many potential blooms. The forsythia plant hails from China, and is also known to have medicinal properties.
To prune, start in spring after the flowers have faded away. For mature plants, cut at least one fourth to one third of the oldest and thickest branches close to the ground. For really old stalks, say a prayer and cut about four inches from the ground. (You’ll probably need to talk to your plant while doing this with several positive affirmations; “This is for your own good,” “You are going to be the Belle of the Ball next Spring,” “You know you’re my favorite”)
If you find yourself cutting the whole plant back, just remember that within two years, you’ll have an established ‘new’ vibrant plant. Something fun to do is taking a drive to go on a Forsythia hunt (Yeah, I know I don’t get out much). There are many spots (like Highlands Plaza/Mitchell’s Lodge) that have always had a beautiful showing.
This is a great plant to cut before spring to force blooms. Just cut, put in a vase, add water and wait for an early spring inside your home. As with any other things you put in a vase, trim off any shoots that would be below the water line.
In nature, it’s almost magical to witness bright yellow bursts of color that seem to appear out of nowhere on gray woody stalks.
