Forsythia can be found in almost every ornamental garden. The bright yellow flowers are a harbinger of spring. However, the shrubs are less popular with bees and other insects. Worth knowing about the popular spring bloomer.

Forsythia is also called Goldilocks

Profile of the forsythia

  • Botanical name: Forsythia x intermedia
  • Hybrid of: Forsythia suspensa × F. viridissima
  • Common names: goldilocks, gold lilac, rod family (southern Germany)
  • Family: Oleaceae
  • Varieties: various breeds
  • Group of plants: ornamental shrubs, spring bloomers
  • Origin: Asia (China)
  • Use: garden shrub, hedge plant, container plant, bonsai, clear stem
  • Growth form: mesotonous
  • Height: up to four meters, dwarf varieties up to two meters
  • Flower color: light yellow, golden yellow, dark yellow, white
  • Leaves: Green, oblong, jagged at the edge
  • Evergreen: No, loses leaves in autumn
  • Twigs: initially erect, later branching, occasionally overhanging
  • Roots: Shallow-rooted and richly branched, forms runners, older roots sometimes very compact
  • Hardy: Fully hardy except for white forsythia
  • Toxicity: slightly toxic, also for dogs and cats
  • Special features: Hybrid, rarely fertile flowers
  • Age: more than 30 years

Special features of forsythia worth knowing

Forsythia grow mesotonically, which means that new shoots usually sprout from the inside of the bush. They initially grow as erect canes. Over time, they lignify below and branch out above.

The flowers appear before the leaves. Only when they have faded do the green leaves develop on the buds.

Flowers only grow on perennial shoots. Most of the flowers bear twigs that only sprouted in the previous year.

Things to know about care

  • Location: Grows almost anywhere
  • Planting time: spring
  • Flowering time: March to May
  • Propagation: cuttings, offshoots, sinkers

Forsythia must be pruned regularly, otherwise it can become very sprawling and become lazy over time.

The ornamental shrubs also tolerate radical pruning well as old plants.

The other care is not expensive, since the shrubs thrive almost anywhere where the soil is neither too wet nor too dry.

Only known in Europe since 1833

Forsythia has not been grown in European gardens for long. The flowering ornamental shrub did not come to Europe from China until 1833.

tips

The ornamental shrub owes its name to the Scottish botanist William Forsyth. At the end of the 17th century, as a British court gardener, he was responsible for Kensington Gardens, among other things.

Category:

Vegetable garden