Plant: Lynwood Gold - Forsythia

Plant description

A vigorous deciduous shrub growing 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide with an upright, arching, multi stemmed habit, and a heavy bloomer. Bright yellow bell shaped flowers about an inch long open in early spring on last year's wood before the leaves appear and make good cut branches. Medium to dark green lanceolate leaves 3 to 5 inches long follow and hold late into fall, turning yellowish green to purplish. It flowers best in full sun in loose, fertile, well drained soil, tolerates poor soil, salt, pollution and urban conditions, and is used in shrub borders, hedges and mass plantings on banks.

Foliage

Opposite, simple, medium to dark green lanceolate leaves 3 to 5 inches long, toothed on the upper half, lighter below and glabrous, holding late into fall.

Fruit

A two celled dehiscent brown capsule about a quarter inch long, non ornamental, with many winged seeds.

Bark & stems

Brown, four ridged stems heavily dotted with lenticels; nodes are solid but the internodes have chambered pith or are sometimes hollow.

Pruning

Prune in spring immediately after flowering by thinning out the older branches rather than shearing, which detracts from the graceful habit of growth.

Plant details