Unequivocally signaling the arrival of spring with their profusion of glorious yellow blooms, Forsythia bushes are named after the English horticulturist William Forsythe. They are alternately known as the Border Forsythia or Golden Bell. We'll focus on Forsythia x intermedia, a hybrid (crossing F. suspensa with F. viridissima) that has many cultivars, including dwarf and compact forms. While still leafless, Border Forsythias bloom early with scentless, pale to deep yellow, bell-shaped flowers, borne 1-6 together on last year's growth. Measuring 3" – 5" long and half as wide, Forsythia leaves are opposite, simple, coarsely toothed along the upper one-half & ovate-oblong to oblong-lanceoate (i.e., tapering from a rounded base toward an apex; lance-shaped). Forsythia foliage is medium to dark green in summer, turning green to yellow-green in autumn. Found in zones 5 – 8 in the United States, Forsythia x intermedia is a fast growing, hardy, deciduous shrub that reaches a mature height of 8' – 10' with an impressive spread of 10' – 12'. Wonderfully irregular & upright with naturally arching form, Forsythia shrubs should be given enough room to spread without topping the branches, for part of their beauty lies in the graceful manner in which the branches grow. Spacing of 4' to 6' apart is ideal for lush, thriving hedges. Border Forsythias prefer full sun to partial shade. They tolerate a wide range of soils including acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, rich, sandy, silty loam & well-drained; Forsythias will not tolerate permanently wet or exceptionally dry soil, however. Pruning should follow the natural habit of the shrub removing old or dead wood. It is important to note that pruning Forsythias should be done in the spring immediately after flowering! Specifically, gardeners need to avoid autumn pruning because it will remove next year's spring flower buds that have already developed on the branches. (In similar fashion, late spring freezes may injure the buds & reduce flower quality.) Furthermore, pruning forsythia shrubs just after their spring blooms start to fade will not only avoid interruption of the growth/blooming cycle, but, it is the time when it's easiest to tell the newest branches apart from the older. Only the older branches are candidates for pruning & they will have blooms; the first-year branches won't have any yet, so the gardener has a graphic reminder to avoid pruning them. However, if the buds are already formed, necessary pruning can be done 4-6 weeks before flowering time. Best of all, these pruned branches can then be forced indoors, and you'll have a vase full of delightful yellow blooms to admire and inspire you! As we welcome Spring 2010, we trust that our nine fresh textile collections have inspired some beautiful, new, handcrafted apparel for you & yours! Happy Sewing!
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Spring 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
