Forsythia bushes are a popular early spring blooming shrub known for their vibrant yellow flowers. While you can purchase and plant young forsythia bushes, many gardeners prefer buying more mature plants that will provide an instant burst of color and full form. When shopping for mature forsythia bushes for sale, it’s important to find healthy specimens from reputable nurseries and learn proper care techniques to keep them thriving for years to come.
Why Buy a Mature Forsythia Bush?
It can take forsythia bushes three to four years to get big enough to bloom. When you buy an older plant, you can enjoy the happy yellow display right away, which is instant gratification. A bush that is fully grown also has a well-defined shape and presence, and it fills out garden beds and borders faster.
For those seeking privacy or a flowering hedge, mature forsythia bushes planted close together create an instant living screen. They can also be trained onto walls and fences for beautiful cascading effects.
Container-grown forsythia bushes reach maturity faster than bare root plants. Look for plants 5-6 feet tall that are well-branched and full.
Where to Find Mature Forsythia Bushes for Sale
There are many mature forsythia bushes for sale at good nurseries and online stores. Sellers you can trust give you a lot of information about plant sizes, growing zones, and bloom times.
Popular mature size varieties include:
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Lynwood Gold: This plant gets 8 to 10 feet tall and wide, and its flowers are a bright golden yellow. It works well for hedges and screens.
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Show Off – A compact variety reaching 3-6 feet tall and wide. Profuse bloomer even on young plants. Good for small gardens.
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Northern Gold – Grows 6-8 feet tall. Extremely cold hardy and reliable bloomer.
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Sunrise – Grows up to 10 feet tall with reddish-purple fall foliage.
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Gold Tide – A compact form growing 2-3 feet tall. Excellent for containers and smaller spaces.
Shop early, as mature plants sell out quickly. Schedule shipping for early spring or fall when temperatures are cool but plants are not dormant.
Caring for Mature Forsythia Bushes
To keep mature forsythia bushes looking their best, provide proper care and pruning:
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Plant in full sun or light shade. Forsythia tolerates most soil types.
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Water regularly the first year, then only during droughts once established.
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Apply a balanced fertilizer in early spring when growth resumes.
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Prune immediately after flowering by removing oldest branches at ground level. Also shorten long new stems to encourage branching and flower buds.
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Prune lightly again in late summer to shape. Avoid heavy shearing which removes potential flowering wood.
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Every few years, cut out oldest branches to rejuvenate and renew the plant.
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Train onto walls and fences for weeping effects. Prune to keep growth in bounds.
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Protect from harsh winter wind and sun in colder climates.
With minimal care, a mature forsythia bush will thrive for decades, providing cheery early color year after year. The bright blooms signal winter’s end and spring’s arrival in the garden.
Other Tips for Using Mature Forsythia Bushes
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Plant as a specimen shrub or informal flowering hedge spaced 4-6 feet apart.
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Use as a backdrop to spring bulbs and emerging perennials.
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Accent a porch, deck, or entrance with container-grown specimens.
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Plant near windows and walkways to enjoy flowers up close.
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Cut branches for forcing indoors in late winter.
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Select zone 4-5 hardy varieties like Lynwood Gold and Northern Gold for cold winter areas.
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Remove spent flowers to encourage bushy new growth.
A mature forsythia bush makes a big impact with little effort. Shop early from quality suppliers and provide minimal care for a glorious display of sunny flowers each spring.
The Best Features of Forsythia Shrubs
– The first flowers of spring in the garden – Bright yellow blooms on bare twigs – Easy to grow almost anywhere – Does well in colder areas – No problems and little care needed
Flower Color
Spring is my favorite time of the year, but it always seems so far away when winter lasts so long. So early-flowering shrubs are always welcome in the garden, because they herald the things to come, telling us that the cold weather will soon be gone, and summer will arrive again. The Forsythia, also sometimes called the Easter Tree, is a very early blooming shrub, that is often the first flowers we see as winter finally passes away for another year. With their beautiful golden flowers that cover the branches that don’t have leaves, these glowing shrubs become beacons of beauty. They bloom for a few weeks because the weather is still cool, which keeps the flowers fresh.
This versatile and hardy plant grows across all the cooler parts of the country, and with modern breeding new varieties have been created that will bloom consistently even in cold zones. Before the arrival of these hardier plants, in cold areas the older forms could fail to bloom in some years, following cycles of warm and cold weather. These newer kinds are smaller too, for our smaller gardens, so they can be grown in the corner of a bed, without taking up precious room needed for summer flowers. With more room you can grow several, filling your shrub beds with early color, and summer structure, or even plant them as a hedge, which will define a boundary with a golden line visible from everywhere.
In whatever way you choose to grow this plant in your garden, it will rapidly become an old friend, re-visiting every spring, a reliable and easy to grow signal that spring has returned once again.
5 Fan Favorite Forsythia Bushes | NatureHills.com
FAQ
What is the best time to plant a forsythia bush?
When to plantThe best time to plant container-grown forsythias is in spring or autumn. You can plant them at any time, though, as long as the soil isn’t frozen, too wet, or too dry in the summer. Plant bare-root forsythias in mild periods between November and February.
How much does a forsythia plant cost?
Forsythia Lynwood Gold (Forsythia x intermedia)SizePrice6-12”1 – 3 $7. 60 4 – 24 $4. 67 25 – 99 $2. 80 100 – 499 $1. 52 500+ $1. 351-2’1 – 3 $9. 36 4 – 24 $6. 44 25 – 99 $3. 84 100 – 499 $2. 13 500+ $1. 782-3′ * Spring Only *1 – 3 $11. 13 4 – 24 $8. 58 25 – 99 $6. 07 100 – 499 $3. 53 500+ $2. 91.
Are forsythia bushes fast-growing?
The forsythia is a fast-growing, hardy shrub that blooms early—providing a sunny sight before the rest of the landscape greens up. Forsythias make an excellent choice for those wanting a fast-growing flowering hedge.
Can I just stick forsythia cuttings in the ground?
Yes, forsythia cuttings can be rooted by simply sticking them in the ground, though some preparation and care can improve success rates.
Where can I buy Forsythia bushes?
Rest assured, when you buy Forsythia bushes for sale online from Wilson Bros Gardens we safely ship the highest quality container-grown specimens that are ready upon arrival to plant and thrive for years to come in your gardens – Guaranteed!.
Is forsythia a shrub?
Forsythia can be used as a specimen shrub in any shrub border, and it is ideal for placing at the back of other shrubs. In spring, it will be easy to see it in bloom, as the plants in front will still mostly be dormant. Later it will act as a neutral green background to their summer and fall blooms.
Where does Forsythia grow?
Forsythia is a small group of flowering shrubs, mostly originating in China, Korea and Japan, but there is also a European species, found in south-eastern Europe. For a gardener, they are all pretty much the same. The only things that make them different are the shape of the leaves, the size of the flowers, and how they look.
Is forsythia a pest?
It doesn’t have any major pests or diseases, and while it should be pruned once a year, other than that, it doesn’t need much care. Forsythia is a great shrub to put at the back of other shrubs or as a stand-alone plant in a shrub border. It will be easy to see when it blooms in the spring because most of the plants in front of it will still be dormant.
How big does a forsythia grow?
Large, with arching and sprawling branches, 9 feet tall and up to 12 feet wide, so it needs plenty of room. This plant, Forsythia suspensa, is the most distinctly different of all the Forsythia species, and wild plants can have different habits of growth.
Does Forsythia grow in shade?
This shrub thrives in full sun, or in partial shade, so most garden locations suit it perfectly. Most varieties Forsythia of will grow in all kinds of soil, including heavy clay. It will grow well in dry soil, and once established it is drought-resistant in summer.