Many garden lovers would like to grow their forsythia as a standard. They hope that this will prevent the shrub from spreading as much and give them the opportunity to plant flowers under the standard tree. However, forsythia are shrubs and cannot easily be planted as a standard.

Forsythia cannot be raised as a standard, but can be bought as such

Forsythia bushes cannot be cut to the standard

The hobby gardener simply imagines growing a standard tree from his forsythia. But it is not enough to place a cutting and prune it again and again.

Forsythia grow mesotonically. This means that most of the new shoots will sprout from the middle of the bush.

The attempt to use a woody branch as a basis for the standard also fails, precisely because new shoots are constantly growing out of the ground.

Buy a standard tree from a gardener

Standard forsythia can be obtained from the gardener. However, these are always cuttings that have been grafted onto a base.

A plant that forms a real trunk is used as a base. If a cutting is grafted on this trunk, the forsythia appears like a standard tree.

Refining a forsythia yourself is part of the high art of gardening. Beginners rarely succeed in growing a standard tree in this way.

Cut regularly

A standard forsythia from the gardener must be cut continuously so that the crown retains its spherical shape.

Unfortunately, pruning is at the expense of flowering. The hobby gardener has to decide between form and flower.

In order to obtain a compact, spherical crown shape, all protruding forsythia branches are cut as soon as possible. If the shrub is to bear many flowers, only older branches may be removed.

Standard forsythia remain smaller than shrubs

While a full-grown forsythia can reach a height of three meters, standard forsythia remain rather small.

Smaller, upright growing varieties are usually used for high-stem plants. Regular pruning also means that the forsythia does not spread so much and grow tall.

tips and tricks

Another form of refinement is raising as a bonsai. Experience in growing bonsai trees is an advantage. Let an experienced bonsai gardener show you the necessary care measures.

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