No other shrub personifies the brash exuberance of spring like forsythia. At this time of year it is blooming in almost every garden as hedges, clipped and unclipped, along roadways, and even on the edge of woods. Sometimes it looks wonderful, but at other times it is obviously a case of wrong plant, wrong place.
Forsythia shrubs have a beautiful, naturally elegant habit that is destroyed by formal clipping, but so often is sheared within an inch of its life as a trimmed hedge or rounded blob in front of a house.
- This clipped forsythia hedge does not take advantage of the plant's graceful habit
Protect your hands from scratches wearing your Womanswork gloves – I like the original work glove. Pruners must be sharp so that you don't tear the bark at the cut. Dramm has a nice lightweight hand pruner that I use for thin branches but for heavier stems I prefer Fiskars Power Gear Pruners with rolling handles. Aim to cut out as much of the old wood as you can without leaving the shrub too thin. It is a good idea to prune out 1/3 or so of the bush each year. If possible cut out old wood to the ground or as far down as you can till you reach a node where a new young shoot is emerging. As usual prune out any dead, damaged, diseased, or dying wood as well, along with crossing branches.
- Bridal Wreath or "Spiraea thunbergii 'Mellow Yellow'"
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