- Plant forsythia properly
- care tips
- Which location is suitable?
- The right planting distance
- What soil does the plant need?
- What is the best planting time?
- When is flowering time?
- Pruning forsythia properly
- Water forsythia
- Fertilize forsythia properly
- Diseases
- pests
- hibernate
- Propagating forsythia
- How do I plant correctly?
- Is forsythia poisonous?
- Forsythia does not bloom
- brown leaves
- Yellow leaves
- The most beautiful varieties
With bright yellow flowers, the forsythia signals the end of the cold season. The extravagant flowering shrub has also won a regular place in the ornamental garden, thanks to its undemanding nature. Unanswered questions about the cultivation of golden lilacs receive a tried and tested answer here.
Forsythia flowers first, then leaves
Table of Contents
Show all- Plant forsythia properly
- care tips
- Which location is suitable?
- The right planting distance
- What soil does the plant need?
- What is the best planting time?
- When is flowering time?
- Pruning forsythia properly
- Water forsythia
- Fertilize forsythia properly
- Diseases
- pests
- hibernate
- Propagating forsythia
- How do I plant correctly?
- Is forsythia poisonous?
- Forsythia does not bloom
- brown leaves
- Yellow leaves
- The most beautiful varieties
- Place the still potted young plant in a bucket of water
- Dig a planting pit with twice the volume of the root ball
- Enrich the excavation with compost, horn shavings (32.93€) or guano granules
- Unpot the forsythia and plant it exactly as deep as in the seed pot
- Water thoroughly in summer drought
- Water potted plants regularly when the substrate has dried
- Fertilize organically every 3-4 weeks from April to August with compost or nettle manure
- Thoroughly thin out the entire shrub every year in May/June
- Cut into shape every 2-3 years immediately after flowering
- Varieties with a growth height of 300 cm: Planting distance 50 cm for cut hedges, 100 cm for open flowering hedges
- Varieties with a growth height of 150 cm: Planting distance 35 cm for cut hedges, 70 cm for open flowering hedges
- Prune forsythia after flowering
- Choose a day with dry, overcast weather
- Shorten shoots that are too long by up to two thirds
- Place the scissors 2-3 mm above a sleeping eye
- Cut inwards, crossing and rubbing branches
- Wrap young plants loosely with jute ribbons or garden fleece before the first frost
- Cover the root area with straw, leaf soil, compost or pine fronds
- Pack the bucket tightly with bubble wrap and place on a block of wood
- Cover the substrate with sawdust, wood shavings or leaves
- Cuttings: cut in July/August, defoliate the lower half and plant in poor soil
- Subsoilers: pull one-year-old shoots to the ground, bury the middle part and allow them to root until next year
- After flowering, cut back the forsythia by half to two-thirds
- Cut out all dead wood, stunted and damaged branches
- In the radius of the growth height, cut off root strands that are too long all around with a spade
- Use a digging fork to loosen the root ball and pry it out of the ground
- Cut back in autumn
- Waterlogging or drought stress
- Delayed ground frosts
- Dresden early spring: the earliest forsythia ever with large, rich yellow flowers from mid-February
- Lynwood Gold: The favorite variety of hobby gardeners thanks to bright yellow flowers and a mighty habit up to 300 cm in height
- Gold magic: the noble forsythia with 4 cm large flowers and a robust frost tolerance down to - 8 degrees
- Minigold: a splendid specimen for the tub, since a height of 150 cm is not exceeded
- Maree d'Or: scores with compact growth up to 100 cm and with a width of 150 cm acts as a lush ground cover
Plant forsythia properly
March is the ideal time for planting forsythia. The soil should be completely thawed and there should no longer be a risk of severe ground frost. Proceed professionally in these steps:
Press the soil down with your hands without compacting it too much and water generously. A mulch layer made of leaves, lawn clippings or bark mulch proves to be particularly advantageous for the growth phase.
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care tips
In order to elicit the golden-yellow blossoms from a forsythia, a clear care program is required. The most important points at a glance:
Gold lilacs in the tub receive winter protection so that the root ball does not freeze through. If you chose autumn as the planting time, we recommend piling up the young forsythia with leaf soil, straw or needle brushwood in the first winter. The shoots are given a hood made of jute or garden fleece. Established plants bravely face the winter without additional protection.
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Which location is suitable?
The forsythia develops its optimum in a sunny, warm location. Since its character is characterized by good-natured flexibility, the spring beauty also tolerates a partially shaded to shady location. Under reduced light conditions, on the other hand, a somewhat reduced bloom and a loose habit can be expected.
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The right planting distance
The selected variety and the intended use define the planting distance. Experience has verified the following values:
If the forsythia acts as a solitaire, a distance of at least 120 cm should be maintained from neighboring plants.
What soil does the plant need?
Forsythia thrives in any good garden soil, which is ideally rich in nutrients and humus. A low to moderate lime content is also acceptable, as is a slight tendency towards acidic pH. However, the flowering shrub should not be confronted with waterlogging or soil compaction.
What is the best planting time?
Young plants in containers can be planted throughout the growing season. You create the best starting conditions for a forsythia if you choose early spring as the planting time. In this case, the ornamental shrub has enough time to establish itself at the site before winter sets in.
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When is flowering time?
The flowering period extends from the beginning of March to the end of April/beginning of May. The flower unfolds in its most beautiful splendor on the three-year-old shoots. If you don't want to wait that long for the goldbells, cut off some shoots on December 4th to use them as Barbara branches. Then you can already look forward to the yellow flowers in the vase at Christmas.
Pruning forsythia properly
The pivotal point of professional care is the pruning. The timing is just as important as the pruning itself. You will get a forsythia in top form if the flowering bush is pruned every 2-3 years. How to do it right:
Although topiary is only required every few years, pruning occurs every spring. Once the lilac has faded, cut off any deadwood at the base. Make room for young shoots in the crown if older branches threaten to overgrow them. In the end, light and air should reach all regions of a forsythia and the shrub should present itself in a harmonious silhouette.
Water forsythia
As a shallow root, the forsythia quickly suffers from a lack of water in summer droughts. If the natural rainfall does not provide enough moisture, water the shrub in good time. In the narrow substrate volume of a bucket, water the ornamental tree as soon as the top 3-4 centimeters of the soil have dried.
Fertilize forsythia properly
The nutrient balance of a forsythia works in good garden soil without the addition of fertilizer. If you are already out in the garden with a wheelbarrow full of compost, the flowering shrub will gladly accept a portion of the organic fertilizer between April and August. A commercially available liquid fertilizer fulfills this task in the bucket.
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Diseases
You will rarely have to complain about diseases on a forsythia - if at all. If there are health problems, these are caused by negligence in care. A weakened shrub is susceptible to fungal and bacterial infections, such as powdery mildew, leaf and shoot wilt or Monilia tip drought. Cut out diseased shoots immediately and put the previous care program to the test. As a rule, it is not necessary to resort to chemical pesticides, as there is a wealth of biological pesticides available for the hobby garden.
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pests
When the forsythia is in bloom, most of the garden pests are still in the wings. The only exception are the leaf bugs, as they overwinter as adult insects. The 5-10 mm small, winged parasites are similar to aphids. If you fight leaf bugs when they first appear with the classic soft soap solution, this year's flowering will not be significantly affected.
hibernate
The forsythia is completely hardy as soon as it is sufficiently rooted in the bed. From the second year at the latest, no special protection is required. An exception applies to young plants that are planted in autumn and to gold lilacs in tubs. This is how you overwinter the shrubs in an exemplary manner:
If winter comes with frost, a shallow-rooted forsythia quickly suffers from drought. If the snow doesn't show up while Grim Reaper dominates, water the ornamental shrub on a frost-free day.
Propagating forsythia
One of the many likeable characteristics of a forsythia is its uncomplicated propagation. If you would like more specimens of the cheerful yellow spring bloomer, you can choose from these methods:
In contrast to the pure wild species, the garden forsythia rarely develops capsule fruits with seeds. Sowing for offspring is therefore out of the question or involves significantly more effort.
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How do I plant correctly?
A forsythia benefits from its natural hardiness when the ornamental shrub is transplanted. We recommend the following procedure so that the wood takes root quickly at the new location:
At the new garden site, dig a pit with twice the volume of the bale. Optimize the excavation with compost and horn shavings. Put the forsythia in the middle of the pit and muddy the bush. Do not plant the shrub deeper than the previous location, otherwise it will take 1-2 years before the first flowering after transplanting.
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Is forsythia poisonous?
Due to its content of saponins and glycosides, forsythia is one of the mildly poisonous plants. Therefore, wear gloves for all planting and care work. Small children and pets should not be left unsupervised within the reach of Gold Lilac.
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Forsythia does not bloom
If the longed-for splendor of flowers does not materialize, the forsythia demonstrates its displeasure at incorrect care in this way. These are the reasons behind it:
Goldbells in pots will miss a flower if they are not protected in winter. Due to the exposed location of the root ball, it freezes through in severe frost. Subsequent thaw then causes the stressed tissue cells to burst, so that the flowering shoots are no longer supplied with water and nutrients.
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brown leaves
Brown leaves on a forsythia are a symptom of shoot rot. This is a bacterial disease that manifests itself in the form of brown spots that are constantly spreading. As the season progresses, leaves and shoots turn dark brown to black. Immediately cut the bush back to healthy wood.
Yellow leaves
If the leaves of a forsythia turn yellow in the middle of the season, this damage pattern indicates the Monilia peak drought. This fungal infection first affects the flowers and then spreads to the foliage as soon as it sprouts on the bush. In the absence of effective control agents, only a radical pruning can still save the flowering shrub. Please burn the clippings or dispose of them in the household waste to prevent further spread in the garden.