How interesting those shrubs are. Their color really stands out!
Ah, see, I should have realized that this is a regional thing. I think you Texas folks aren’t faced with masses of forsythia blooming this time of year. So I need to explain that forsythia generally wants to be a large, arching, spreading shrub. However, many people want it to be small and cubic, rounded, or some other geometric shape, and they often go to great effort to try to make it so.
-Nan
I planted a forsythia this spring. I like them in their natural shape and form, and will let mine get big. It was planted as part of shrub border for privacy after our neighbor’s weeping willow tree came down this winter. I’m going to try rooting some cuttings. I love them, and now that I finally have one here, I want more! One of the best things to me about forsythia, besides their early, sunny bloom, when most shrubs are still sleeping, is bringing in branches to force.
Hi there, Linda! One of the great things about letting forsythias take their natural shape is that the stems often take root where they touch the ground, so you get lots of new plants without any work. And you’re right: They’re wonderful for forcing, too.
-Nan
On April 12, 2008 at 8:34 am ourfriendben said:
Hmmmm, I always thought of those self-rooting stems as a lot of make-work, but now I’m starting to think I’m missing a marketing opportunity here… Great gumdrop shot!
Well, that’s why you need to buy only one. Or better yet, not buy any if that’s a problem.
-Nan
Our forsythias are too small to bloom so I’ll have to enjoy their flowers from a distance. That’s an interesting way to shape them but I would rather let them look more natural. It definitely gives the forsythia a more formal look. Are these your forsythias?
Oh, no, they’re not mine! I spotted them along the road and had to pull over to get a picture. Mercifully, the spectacle is brief, but unfortunately, it always coincides with my main plant-shopping expedition every spring. I can only imagine how much work it takes to make this hedge appear as it does.
-Nan
I see! I haven’t really seen many around here so did not know their original shape. That is a very weird thing to do to a shrub that would look better naturally. Why fight with trying to keep it that way? I’m not shrub knowledgeable yet.
A lot of people around here have lived with forsythias all their life and probably don’t realize what it looks like when left unsheared. Its popularity for use as a hedge is not all that surprising, I guess: It’s easy to get, adapts to a range of sites, grows quickly, and looks pretty just at the time people get the urge to plant something in spring. The down side is that people seem to plant them about 3 feet apart, which is fine for their first year but a maintenance headache in the long run.
-Nan
I always see plants as if they have feelings, and sometimes when I pass them I can hear some of them saying, feed me, water me, or screaming “please put me out of my misery”.
Oh, absolutely: For 50 weeks of the year, they have to suffer in silence, but when they’re in bloom, these poor plants speak volumes.
-Nan
I too love forsythia. The garden at my “new” house doesn’t have any, but I plan to add some divisions from my friend’s garden this year. IT will be years before they bloom..but its worth it.
I have begun chronicling the Spring emergence of the gardens at Emily Dickinson’s House (museum) which is 2 doors down from me. Stop by for a peek!
Carol
terranovadesign.blogspot.com
They don’t take that long to bloom, do they, Carol? You should be enjoying the flowers in just a year or two, I’d think.
-Nan
I’m sorry, but, that’s just wrong. The sight of topiaried Forsythia has the same effect on me as fingernails on a chalkboard. All the grace & beauty of the plant is lost. What I hate even more is gumdrop-shaped Magnolia. Stop shrub torture!
So…I’m guessing it’s a good thing I didn’t attempt to cross the highway to get a wider-view shot? Because this doesn’t even give the full effect: There are many dozens more of these forsythias, each a somewhat different shape. It’s quite a spectacle.
-Nan
Globules of puss? Giant fungi? A collection of personal “toys?” I hate that shrub anyway, and this just adds fuel to the fire. Why do people so severely mess with natural habit….
Now, don’t hold back, Benjamin – tell us how you really feel!
Absolutely no forsythia in your garden, huh? Not even a gold-leaved one, or a cool variegate like ‘Kumson’?
-Nan
Soldiers in yellow marching on! Very curious how some people create more work for themselves! I might have nightmares about this one.
Sorry about that. Can you even imagine how much time it must take to clip each one of these individually and repeatedly each year? Nightmares, indeed!
-Nan
Please do not copy photos from this site for use elsewhere without my permission. If you wish to purchase reuse rights for any Hayefield images, contact me at nan@hayefield.com.
How interesting those shrubs are. Their color really stands out!
Ah, see, I should have realized that this is a regional thing. I think you Texas folks aren’t faced with masses of forsythia blooming this time of year. So I need to explain that forsythia generally wants to be a large, arching, spreading shrub. However, many people want it to be small and cubic, rounded, or some other geometric shape, and they often go to great effort to try to make it so.
-Nan
I planted a forsythia this spring. I like them in their natural shape and form, and will let mine get big. It was planted as part of shrub border for privacy after our neighbor’s weeping willow tree came down this winter. I’m going to try rooting some cuttings. I love them, and now that I finally have one here, I want more! One of the best things to me about forsythia, besides their early, sunny bloom, when most shrubs are still sleeping, is bringing in branches to force.
Hi there, Linda! One of the great things about letting forsythias take their natural shape is that the stems often take root where they touch the ground, so you get lots of new plants without any work. And you’re right: They’re wonderful for forcing, too.
-Nan
Hmmmm, I always thought of those self-rooting stems as a lot of make-work, but now I’m starting to think I’m missing a marketing opportunity here… Great gumdrop shot!
Well, that’s why you need to buy only one. Or better yet, not buy any if that’s a problem.
-Nan
Our forsythias are too small to bloom so I’ll have to enjoy their flowers from a distance. That’s an interesting way to shape them but I would rather let them look more natural. It definitely gives the forsythia a more formal look. Are these your forsythias?
Oh, no, they’re not mine! I spotted them along the road and had to pull over to get a picture. Mercifully, the spectacle is brief, but unfortunately, it always coincides with my main plant-shopping expedition every spring. I can only imagine how much work it takes to make this hedge appear as it does.
-Nan
I see! I haven’t really seen many around here so did not know their original shape. That is a very weird thing to do to a shrub that would look better naturally. Why fight with trying to keep it that way? I’m not shrub knowledgeable yet.
A lot of people around here have lived with forsythias all their life and probably don’t realize what it looks like when left unsheared. Its popularity for use as a hedge is not all that surprising, I guess: It’s easy to get, adapts to a range of sites, grows quickly, and looks pretty just at the time people get the urge to plant something in spring. The down side is that people seem to plant them about 3 feet apart, which is fine for their first year but a maintenance headache in the long run.
-Nan
I always see plants as if they have feelings, and sometimes when I pass them I can hear some of them saying, feed me, water me, or screaming “please put me out of my misery”.
Oh, absolutely: For 50 weeks of the year, they have to suffer in silence, but when they’re in bloom, these poor plants speak volumes.
-Nan
I too love forsythia. The garden at my “new” house doesn’t have any, but I plan to add some divisions from my friend’s garden this year. IT will be years before they bloom..but its worth it.
I have begun chronicling the Spring emergence of the gardens at Emily Dickinson’s House (museum) which is 2 doors down from me. Stop by for a peek!
Carol
terranovadesign.blogspot.com
They don’t take that long to bloom, do they, Carol? You should be enjoying the flowers in just a year or two, I’d think.
-Nan
I’m sorry, but, that’s just wrong. The sight of topiaried Forsythia has the same effect on me as fingernails on a chalkboard. All the grace & beauty of the plant is lost. What I hate even more is gumdrop-shaped Magnolia. Stop shrub torture!
So…I’m guessing it’s a good thing I didn’t attempt to cross the highway to get a wider-view shot? Because this doesn’t even give the full effect: There are many dozens more of these forsythias, each a somewhat different shape. It’s quite a spectacle.
-Nan
Globules of puss? Giant fungi? A collection of personal “toys?” I hate that shrub anyway, and this just adds fuel to the fire. Why do people so severely mess with natural habit….
Now, don’t hold back, Benjamin – tell us how you really feel!
Absolutely no forsythia in your garden, huh? Not even a gold-leaved one, or a cool variegate like ‘Kumson’?
-Nan
Soldiers in yellow marching on! Very curious how some people create more work for themselves! I might have nightmares about this one.
Sorry about that. Can you even imagine how much time it must take to clip each one of these individually and repeatedly each year? Nightmares, indeed!
-Nan