A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Plants and Flowers Forum Shrubs and Trees Forsythia keeps dying back

Well, here I am in Texas and I can't seem to grow a forsythia! Who'da thunk it? The first one I bought from Wayside. After the first year of glorious bloom, some of the branches began to die back, others rooted where they touched the ground so what forsythia I had became a walking forsythia! Dug that up and gave it away and bought one locally. I walked out the other day and the leaves are turning brown. What in the world is going on? Any ideas out there? It's rained incessantly but the bush is planted on a slight slope so the drainage is good.

they thrive in the northeast in clay soil with tons of rain. maybe yours need more water or water retention in the soil.

I wrote in the old site about my forsythia problem... I couldn't stop it! The lady next door sold the house and the new owner hated it so he cut it down to the ground. He's not a gardener (a pull up everything that's growing... weed with roundup kind of guy) and he's been spraying it now for two summers.. and it still tries to grow. I guess my point is... watch out what you wish for. It's invasive. It spreads from roots and/or branches (where ever they touch the ground) and becomes enormous. I had to cut it back to keep it out of the above ground wires coming into the house.