A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Forsythia

I need some help with forsythia bushes. We just moved in, and the neighbor tells me the bushes need pruned, that they haven't been very pretty for the last few years. Suggestions on pruning, please?

First off, you have to prune them just after they flower. You can prune them down quite hard , just no more than 1/3 of the plant each year.

Thanks, Vanessa. I'm just so excited to have my own forsythia bushes - I have 4! But I want them to be beautiful.

Definetly wait until after they bloom. They are very tough plants and can take very aggressive pruning.

this year is my first spring having them and i can't wait to see them in bloom! thanks for the pruning tips. i sort of stole them last summer! they were gorwing in a vacant lot so a friend and i pulled a few of them up and split them and when i came home i soaked them in water and planted them. they did good and all survived the move. i did end up cutting some of the ends off- some parts died, but not the whole plants. so now i have 5 plants but the tallest one is only maybe 3 feet tall. i still can't wait to see them in bloom though!

They root easy, I have cut a limb and pushed it in the ground and it they take off. In three years you will have a good size bush.

Bring a few of your forsythia branches inside. Put them in water. They should bloom for you. I did 2 wks ago. They bloomed nice, but now they're done. Now I'm trying lilacs.
Diane