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Is it too late to whack forsythia back completely?

18 years ago

DH and I inherited some forsythias when we bought our farm. I love them but they unfortunately have been pruned into snowball shape. They're also (I'm sure) quite old. I want to rejuvenate them by completely cutting them back, but is it too late to do that this season? They're finished flowering and have leafed out.

One disclaimer--I do not care if next year I don't get flowers, as long as I don't kill the shrubs!

Thanks in advance,

Gina

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Comments (3)

anitamo
18 years ago
Rejuvenation works well in this case. Go ahead and cut down to the ground, don't leave a couple inches for good measure, cut it all the way down. Another way to prune is just cutting a third of all the oldest stems all the way to the ground. I think this way is for shrubs that just need some shaping. But for the forsythia that is pruned into odd shapes, cutting it all back to the ground will give you a more pleasing shape in the next few years.
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loniesmom
18 years ago
I've found you can do just about anything with well established forsythias here in Ohio...and I'm much further north than you. If you do cut it to the ground remember to continue to prune it to the shape you WANT over the next few years. Proper pruning is all you need to know. When you dispose of your cut canes I would urge you to sun-dry them on the driveway or other non-fertile location otherwise you'll have unwanted forsythia babies all over your compost pile!
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hoe_hoe_hoe
18 years ago
I'm always doubting that one can kill a forsythia too, but I have to keep reminding myself that they ARE living things, not the UNDEAD shrub.
You could hedge your bet. Cut back half of the old stubby branches and then give the others the same treatment NEXT spring. Or, if you want to take a little more of a chance and you have a lot- cut half of them down completely and the other half treat as I've just described. If some die, you'll still have plenty of plant material left for future cuttings and replacement material.
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