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This is a happy forsythia, mostly because it gets full day sun and appropriate pruning.  It is on city property in front of Amish Reflections, Inc. and is maintained by  the City’s Horticulture department.

Ed Hutchison, of Midland, writes a weekly spring gardening column for the Midland Daily News. He can be reached at edhutchison@mac.com.

Do you remember the weather nine days ago? It was Thursday. It was sunny and maybe 60 degrees. Forsythia bushes marked the occasion by bursting into bloom and bright yellow blooms were everywhere.  Seemingly overnight. 

It was a lovely sight for several days. As flowers dropped, the plant began the process of making buds for next year’s flowers. That’s an important point; please read on. 

I don’t have any forsythia bushes, but the plant holds a special spot in my heart. This is because my Dad, Ira Hutchison, knew little about these things. He was busy raising eight kids with my Mom, Mary, and working at Dow Corning. Growing up, we liked to mess with him by asking about the identity of this or that shrub or flower. “Forsythia” was always his response. No ambiguity there!  

As I write, it’s Monday and yellow is fading, being replaced by soft, green leaves. Out of bloom, this shrub becomes almost disappears in the landscape because it’s shape and foliage are not, well, exciting. It offers little to draw the eye’s attention. 

It’s the early spring flowers we love.

It belongs to the big and diverse olive family (Oleaceae) and is available in standard and dwarf varieties. A standard shrub reaches a mature height of 10 to 12 feet high quickly as it can grow two feet of height and spread annually. In the plant world this is supersonic! 

Dwarf varieties mature in a few years at about two feet high and wide. 

Other than mature size, the most significant difference is shape. Standard varieties grow vase-like and some feature a weeping appearance as it grows. Dwarf plants mature roundish. Driving around town, I see mostly standard types because they are simply more apparent, especially in spring. King’s Daughters Home, 2410 Rodd St., features several dwarf forsythias among other shrubs in its well-designed and maintained landscape.    

With one exception, I cannot think of anything else blooming when forsythia bloom and that is the Serviceberry (Amelanchier sp.), an upright, multi-stemmed tree that thrives in woody areas under the canopy of larger trees.

Care of the forsythia can be summed up in two words:  Full sun.

It is not fussy about soil type or fertility; certainly, Michigan soils are just fine.

Again, full sun – not just in the spring, but through summer and fall as well.

A fair question:  “If that’s true, why do I see forsythia blooming among trees and shrub in a landscape that’s 10 to 15 years old.  They look OK to me?”

What you are seeing is the result of plants in the area growing mature. When the forsythia was planted, more sunlight struck the area.  As shrubs and trees grow, especially in a group, shade become more prevalent and because of this lack of sun, flower production slows. 

Another cause of reduced blooming, especially among standard varieties is the plant needs  serious pruning. By serious, I mean down to the ground rather than a haircut of several inches with a hedge trimmer. This is ideally done when the bush is dormant with as many as one-third of its oldest stems (branches) be cut down to just above ground level. 

Yes, that can be a lot of big branches, especially on a mature shrub. It seems crazy and cruel, but it will trigger the root system to grow new branches and this in turn, will prompt more flowers. This may be needed every three or four years. 

If the shrub is looking OK but not amazing, try pruning back some of the branches, from the top down, maybe 12-18 inches to fit taste in height and width. This should be done within two weeks of flowers dropping as that is the time the plant’s biology turns to forming flowers for 2023.  If you were to prune the same bush this way but in say, August, you are likely to cut off some of next year’s flowers.  And that would be a shame!

One other note on pruning: Unless you want to prune your forsythia into a ball or rectangle (ugh on both) remember to prune that follows its natural shape. With the forsythia, this is an arching, vase-Ike appearance. Ed Hutchison writes a weekly column for the Midland Daily News. He can be reached at edhutchison@mac.com.