My forsythia are suprising me

Stella Dallas · ‎01-13-2015

I live in Seattle and on the last day of February it feels like spring; I have a lot of windows open to get some fresh air. Most of my spring plants are blooming, especially the daffodils. This is the first year I've had any come up and I never knew how pretty they are!

Anyway, what's surprising to me is that my forsythia are just sitting there, with hardly any new growth. Anyone who's ever had forsythia knows that they're almost like weeds, they're so hardy and un-killable. I've cut them down to the ground, more than once, and they've always spring right back up. So I'm really surprised that they aren't doing much, yet.

Any comments?

wagirl · ‎03-09-2010

Hi Stella--I'm in Woodinville and everything around here is in bloom or budding out. My lilacs are going crazy with the leaf buds and the flowering cherries/plums are fully bloomed!! Just coming home from Molbaks (crazy busy) and lots of folks in their yards planting and digging. Hard to believe we are in the best place for weather right now!! I've seen forsythia blooming----its got the yellow flowers right?

Stella Dallas · ‎01-13-2015

No; it's just barely showing a teeny little bit of yellow. I know it'll bloom eventually but I'm really surprised that it's so slow.

Mary Bailey · ‎03-09-2010

I'm in Illinois I'm green with envy Wink All we have is snow, with the threat of more snow!

Enjoy the budding.

I will look forward to spring through your posts. ${#emotions_dlg.thumbup}$

SharkE · ‎08-19-2010

Probably been over pruning it. When I lived in Ind. I had a beautiful one , then, it just quit blooming in the Spring. I put fertilizer on it and everything. Now, I'm in Tx. (northern part) and we even got some rain last night ! (Never rains in Tx. ) I planted 2 butterfly bushes that's suppose to be jack rabbit proof yesterday when it was cloudy. You don't want to wait to late down here or the sun will bleach you. LOL I got 2 more junipers to plant and making husband plant 2 pines. Nights now are in 40's, so, hope, we're safe.

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PhatCat · ‎03-10-2010

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Stella Dallas · ‎01-13-2015

On 3/20/2015 Sharke said:
Probably been over pruning it. When I lived in Ind. I had a beautiful one , then, it just quit blooming in the Spring. I put fertilizer on it and everything. Now, I'm in Tx. (northern part) and we even got some rain last night ! (Never rains in Tx. ) I planted 2 butterfly bushes that's suppose to be jack rabbit proof yesterday when it was cloudy. You don't want to wait to late down here or the sun will bleach you. LOL I got 2 more junipers to plant and making husband plant 2 pines. Nights now are in 40's, so, hope, we're safe.

Sharke, I think you're on the right track; I never thought of this. But it makes sense because I have a yard service and the crew trims back the forsythia often. I'll tell them to leave it alone for a while and see what happens.

PhatCat · ‎03-10-2010

Oh Stella, I just looked with my good eye. They're not blooming. :-/

maryebrown_1 · ‎09-14-2012

We have two in our front yard, that we never prune, and they usually start blooming by mid-March/St. Patty's Day -- NOT THIS YEAR, due to the way too cold Winter temps, sleet, freezing rain and snow storms and it will probably be Easter before they bloom...

OTOH, our Maple Trees have had buds on them for months now, and they are trying to blossom (with the recently yoyo-ing temps.). We actually reached 70 degrees this past Monday ! ${#emotions_dlg.blink}$ Today, we are/have been stuck at 34 degrees with snow that changed over to a cold rain...Ughhhh ${#emotions_dlg.mad}$

SharkE · ‎08-19-2010

On 3/20/2015 Stella Dallas said:
On 3/20/2015 Sharke said:
Probably been over pruning it. When I lived in Ind. I had a beautiful one , then, it just quit blooming in the Spring. I put fertilizer on it and everything. Now, I'm in Tx. (northern part) and we even got some rain last night ! (Never rains in Tx. ) I planted 2 butterfly bushes that's suppose to be jack rabbit proof yesterday when it was cloudy. You don't want to wait to late down here or the sun will bleach you. LOL I got 2 more junipers to plant and making husband plant 2 pines. Nights now are in 40's, so, hope, we're safe.

Sharke, I think you're on the right track; I never thought of this. But it makes sense because I have a yard service and the crew trims back the forsythia often. I'll tell them to leave it alone for a while and see what happens.

http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/prune-forsythia.html