Forsythias, as has been mentioned, are not "neat and tidy" bushes. I don't know enough about your zone to make specific suggestions...there are some rhodedendron cultivars that maintain a rounded shape. I don't know of ANY perennial that will stay in constant bloom for 2-3 months at a time in NY. I don't know any that will do that in NC. What you are describing is an annual. Constant bloom--and then done at frost. It isn't too late to plant any annual--and that includes impatiens. Feed them and they will grow. If you like plants that are flat on top--and want a lot of color--zinnias might work for you. They are a classic bedding plant. They do require some maintenance--and do best with a little dead-heading. Another classic choice would be geraniums--which also do best with regular dead-heading. How much hands on work do you want to do? Now, there are probably a number of perennial plants for your zone that will cycle through bloom and rest stages...or have a long bloom period that can be paired with another perennial to pick up as the first fades...ask your gardener for their latin names, and google them. Then you will know if they are the sort of tidy plants you seem to prefer. But you will be doing both of you a favor if your gardener can come up with some sort of list that YOU can then research. I am not very familiar with your area, so hesitate to suggest specific perennials. (Which are much fussier than annuals, as they have to survive winters.) melanie

the only reason i qualified it.. was because sometimes.. all good intentions aside.. and even though you had a plan to do it minutes after flowering ended ... sometimes you dont do it until july or august.. and then wonder why it didnt have time to grow and set buds for the next year .... sounds like you will do it pronto .. go for it ... a neighbor once trimmed an 8 to 10 foot severely overgrown forsythia down to about 2 foot.. in august .... moved it to my yard .. not prime moving time anywhere ... the darn thing refused to die ... the height was left just to facilitate movement ... and it lived.. if you can torture this plant like that and not kill it ... there is little you can do to harm yours... except for missing a flower show on year, if you time it wrong.. good luck ken

only wait.. if you want to enjoy the flowers.. if you dont care.. do it now ... get a pruning saw [see below and link] ...... pick the thickest branch ... and cut it out as close to the ground as you can get ... within about 6 inches.. sometimes you cant get all that close ... when that one is out.. pick the next biggest .. keep going until you are happy ... on this plant.. you can go all the way if you wish .. it will be back to half size by fall ... i will bet a buck ... not true for all ... mind you thank god you cracked up.. i was worried i was offending you the saw at the link is a great investment.. if you have many shrubs to take care over the years ... it folds for safety .... and will cut through a 2 inch branch in about 3 swipes .... i have seen generic knockoffs for as little as $10 ... i just linked to a picture ... though amleo does have fine service ... i had a horrible forsythia .. decide it was a goner... cut it to a stump about one foot off the ground.. and applied 100% roundup ... and it resprouted .. so i trimmed back the sprouts and again dripped 100% on it .. and i think i had to spray it one more time with diluted stuff ... you really arent going to hurt this thing with a little pruning.. trust me ... any branch you find that has touched the soil.. and rooted in.. can be transplanted for a new plant.. if you wish .... gotta run ... ken PS: the process is called rejuvenation pruning .. and works for ALMOST all flowering shrubs .. but check with us before you think about doing it to other shrubs ... lilac is the same ... mock orange.. quince ... olive bushes .... spirea... oh the list goes on .... ad nauseum .... Here is a link that might be useful: folding pruning saw

Forsythias flower before they get leaves, a feature which makes them very showy in the spring. Expect flowers in April, March in warmer areas, with the leaves developing as the flowers fade. Yellow and green leaves may have been a Euonymus, very common shrub. They'll get more than 24" tall here but probably not in Nebraska. Might not be hardy in the north of the state. For that matter, many Forsythias will not be successful in colder parts of Nebraska. Even in the south of the state you might get the buds burnt off during the winter and so no flowers. You might want to ask for local advice about this. In colder parts of the northeast, it is quite common to see Forsythias with the bottom half covered in flowers where the buds were protected by snow, and the top half bare where the buds were frozen