Forsythia is a shrub native to Asia, but is currently the most popular in Europe. The plant symbolizes the beginning of spring, since its flowering falls in March. Another of the remarkable features of the culture is its unpretentiousness, even in conditions of severe shading it will not lose its splendor, richness of colors, and also will not slow down the pace of development.
Forsythia Description
The flowering tree has a modest growth, which is in the range of 1-3 m, there is a dwarf variety. Among all types of Forsythia, specimens with oblong leaves are most often found, but there are exceptions, overgrown with triplets. The serrated edges of the notch grow to a length of 15 cm. The flowers resemble bells, but the color is yellow. The seed box acts as a fruit. Flowering in March can last for 3 weeks.
Types and varieties of forsythia
| View. Varieties | Height, stems | Features |
Drooping:
| The crown of the three-meter foresight is very spreading, and its thin stems are long enough to spread along the ground. Separate shoots that have reached the soil sometimes take root, form a tetrahedral figure in a section. The stems are painted reddish brown. Ternate leaves slightly elongated. | The overwhelming majority of hybrid samples were derived on the basis of this variety. Inflorescences are formed by 5-6 bell-shaped flowers of fiery yellow color. It is used as a medicinal plant that fights tumors, rid the body of toxins, has a beneficial effect on blood flow and normalizes the work of a number of internal organs. It survives well after transplantation. |
Ovoid:
| A relatively low specimen (up to 2 m) is represented by a mixture of gray and yellow flowers on the bark. | The plant belongs to winter-hardy species, while it has a higher density of inflorescences than other specimens. |
Intermediate:
| Massive shoots form a plant growing up to 3 m in height. The oblong-shaped leaves have a serrated edging. | Shrub bred on the basis of dark green and hanging Forsythia. The most popular is in the European part. Flowering tree is hardy. |
| European | It grows up to 2 m in height. The stems of the standard diameter are very strong, largely due to good elasticity. | It is considered the most resistant species to cold, but the distribution is quite modest. Under natural conditions, a similar pattern can be found in the vicinity of rocks, it is notable for its splendor. Yellow flowers are decorated with dark stripes. |
| Giralda | Forsythia is modest in size (up to 2 m). The cross section of the shoots has a quadrangular shape. | The bush resembles the European forsythia, but is less resistant to cold. Flowers of a sunny shade reach large sizes. |
| Dark green | It grows to 3 m in height. The stems are usual for forcing the shape and size. | Natural habitat - mountainous areas of Asia. The plant is not resistant to cold, therefore, for successful wintering, it will need warming. The golden color of the flowers has an admixture of green hues. |
Features of Forsythia cultivation
The plant does not require reverent care, but there are some nuances that will affect the growth and development of the bush. The following is a list of some of them:
- The shrub will respond with more intense flowering to the presence of abundant lighting, but partial shade is also allowed;
- Forsythia soil must contain lime;
- Well adjacent to green conifers;
- The plant will sparkle with new colors in the autumn period, which will only add to its decorative effect.
Forsythia planting in open ground
The rooting of the shrub should be completed before the onset of frost, so planting or planting should be carried out in the spring months, or in September. A sunny place under a plant should not be exposed to strong gusts of wind. Soil is suitable for almost any, provided that it is dry and not acidic. In order to increase the pH in the soil should be added wood ash.
Landing Features
The landing pit should be made in the form of a cube with a face of 0.5 m, since the root system of Forsythia does not go deeper than more than 0.4 m. When planting several samples at once, remember the distance, so the distance of each subsequent bush should not be less than 1, 5 m from the previous one. The bottom of the landing pit is equipped with drainage, by laying expanded clay, crushed stone or broken brick inside with a layer of up to 0.2 m. Then it is worth filling the sand with a layer of up to 0.1 m.
The mass is added last, including (1: 1: 2):
- peat;
- sand;
- the ground.
A little wood ash (200 g) can be added to this soil mixture. After that, the seedling is placed directly, empty areas are covered with soil, and the place around is somewhat compacted. Only a planted plant needs strong hydration. Autumn planting differs from spring planting in that in September the soil around must undergo mulching. For the winter period, the plant requires shelter, which will be remarkably well-breathable material, otherwise Forsythia can sprit.
Forsythia care
It should be comprehensive and include watering, tillage and fertilizing, also the plant needs pruning.
Watering
It is necessary only in case of drought and prolonged heat, the rest of the time enough moisture falling out as precipitation. About 12 liters of moisture should be spent on a single sample, each watering is carried out once every 2-3 weeks. Almost any water is suitable for forcing.
Loosening, weeding, mulching
Soil treatment should be carried out immediately after wetting. The soil is loosened to a depth of 20 cm, weeding is carried out around the shrub, after which the place is sprinkled with soil that does not contain moisture. If you make a compost mulching layer, then subsequently the need for weeding will disappear.
Fertilizers and fertilizers
A plant on properly fertilized soil will demonstrate good growth rates and sprawling flowering. Top dressing is applied three times:
- In March, organic fertilizers are suitable, for example, rotted manure. It should be abundantly laid around the trunk and well watered;
- In the middle of spring, complex minerals are used, at the rate of 70 g per instance;
- Forsythia, which has only faded. This measure contributes to the establishment of kidneys in the future. A balanced complex fertilizer for ornamental garden plants is applied at 0.1 kg per 1 m².
Pruning
For sanitary purposes, the plant needs to prune all dried and spoiled stems. A similar operation follows a plant that has already faded. Healthy shoots need to be halved. Also, decorative trimming is sometimes done to give a certain shape to Forsythia. The shrub can be rejuvenated by the same method, but no more than 1 time in 5 years. As a result, the number of young shoots will increase significantly. The increased pruning frequency stimulates the growth of greenery - the foresight will be sprawling and lush, but it may stop blooming.
Forsythia after flowering
With enough snow in the winter, the flowering tree does not need to be insulated, since it will be provided with cover. In other cases, it is necessary to take additional measures to ensure that the foresight successfully wintered. From below, the trunk is covered with a large number of dry leaves, and the branches are pressed to the ground and covered with a thick layer of spruce branches.
With the beginning of spring, the bush is freed from its shelter.
Forsythia propagation
Often, gardeners give preference to vegetative methods, in particular - cuttings. Harvesting of planting material is carried out in early summer. Each individual specimen should be healthy and reach a length of approximately 15 cm. The leaf plates from below should be removed and the shoot treated with a root growth stimulator.
Planting is carried out in the sand, in a greenhouse. Lignified cuttings collected in the fall can be placed immediately in the open ground. For the winter they need to be covered, and in the spring they will become good seedlings.
Reproduction by layering. In summer, it is necessary to take away the shoot hanging to the soil surface, wind the wire on its base and make an incision on the part of the bark that faces the earth. Strengthen the stem on the ground and sprinkle with soil mixture.
Already in April, you can separate it from the mother plant, after 1 year the layering will bloom. Seed propagation is most suitable only for specially trained professionals.
Diseases and Pests
The plant is practically not susceptible to diseases and attacks of insect pests. It is extremely rare for nematodes to appear on it, but it is quite easy to kill insects if treated with a special drug, for example, Carbation.
Among the diseases, only bacteriosis, wilting and moniliosis are most often found. An infection called bacteriosis can cause significant damage to the bush in a very short time, while it is almost impossible to cure the plant. Since Forsythia cannot be saved, it remains only to remove it along with the roots and cultivate the soil around so that the infection does not transfer to other specimens.
The first symptom of a disease of moniliosis is the manifestation of numerous brown spots on leaf plates. In this case, it is enough to rid the bush of infected parts.
Withering can be stopped by spraying a flowering tree with Fundazol. The most suitable concentration is 5%.
Mr. Dachnik recommends: the use of Forsythia in the landscape
Often, shrubs are planted in gardens and parks, both in single plantings and in group plantings with similar representatives.
It fits perfectly into the surroundings of the natural garden. Often used as a hedge, because its branches have the ability to grow quickly. Also, landscape designers did not pass by the use of a bush in vertical landscaping. Great for decorating flower beds.
