skip to main content

Cottage Gardens

Forsythia - anybody else notice none have bloomed?

10 years ago

I have one in my back yard and just love it - its behind a honeysuckle "shrub" which is now a small tree so you can't see it come when the honeysuckle leaves bud, about mid may usually, but before hand its a bright yellow firework of a plant. Really lets you know "Hey! Spring is here!". This year, however, nothing... I went out to look closely at it and saw just a few little blooms. Now its sprouting its own leaves and seems to have missed the flowering part all together. Not only that but I pass several of these on my way to work and noticed the same thing - a few flowers on just a couple of shrubs here and there.
I'd imagine its probably because of the historic low temperatures we had here in Michigan or from the odd warm-up pattern we had here. Just wondering if anybody else missed out on any forsythia blooming. I've said ever since I moved into this house the forsythia and flowering quince (and now, bleeding hearts) are my favorite part of spring.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

gardenweed_z6a
10 years ago
Forsythia bloomed here recently just as it has in previous years. I removed the plants growing in my own garden because they spread where they weren't wanted but neighbors have them that I can see and I noticed them blooming recently.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
10 years ago
It could have been your winter, a freeze at the wrong time could have done the flower buds in, I almost lost my rhubarb patch which I've had for years from the winter we just had, freezing doesn't bother rhubarb if fact it needs it but having a very mild winter and then the deep freeze after it started to grow almost wiped it out. Or... it could be your forsythia bloomed it's heart out last year and just needs to recuperate.
Lilacs sometimes take a year off, if this happens the trick for these guys is the year they're loaded with bloom is to take half of them off so they don't poop themselves out and have the strength to give a decent flower show the following year.

Annette
Related Discussions
Does anybody else have this problem?
Q
Comments (5)
For roses, the union is most commonly at soil level or just above -although in the colder zones it is recommended to plant the union a few inches below surface so that some part of the cane above the rootstock can survive a severe frost. However, even in milder zones, there may be some advantage to planting deeply so that roots will develop both above and below the graft. Roses grafted on briar rootstock establish very much faster than roses on their own roots but own root roses are said to have an indefinite lifespan as compared to grafted. Planting deeply can be a way of having the best of both worlds. Trees, on the other hand - do not take well to having their bark underground. A nurseryman friend tells me that one of the most common reasons for newly planted trees failing is that they are planted too deeply.
...See More
Anyone else noticing lack of fireblight this year so far?
Q
Comments (10)
I had a lot and I do mean a lot of fire blight last year. I first started noticing it in the pear trees around the first of May. By the 9th of May, it was in all the pear trees, Asian as well as European. I was cutting out hugh garbage bag fulls. By the 21st of May, I had done three major cuttings. It was not until May 27th that I cut fire bight out of the apple trees. A lot of the apple trees had been very aggressively pruned the previous winter and numerus water sprouts were present. This is where a lot of the shepard's crooks were found. This is the first year that I readily saw the golden droplets of the fire blight dripping on other parts of the fruit trees. I lost three trees from fire blight and have about three that may not survive this year. It was not until September 3rd. that I finished cutting out fire blight! The last trees that I cut fire blight out of were Cox Orange Pippin, Lodi and Hewes Crabapple.
...See More
Anyone else noticed lots of late bloom on....
Q
Comments (8)
Your a lucky ducky Jan. I have to many newbies to see any blooms but hope to next year. I got ones that start very early to late so I'd have them for a long time. Most of my long time daylilies have seen the last of their blooms for the year...... they didn't do as well this year due to to much rain and not enough sunshine. So it can go both ways not enough rain or to much :/ but is wasn't just daylilies that suffered roses lost leaves, some plants came up very late in the year. Now we're back to no rain for over a month but promise of rain this weekend YEAH.
...See More
Anybody else have a fragrant crepe myrtle?
Q
Comments (15)
Last year my DH brought 2 crepe myrtles home from a trip to HD. They were not labeled but I'm not complaining since they were quite large for $10 each. One was white and said 20 to 30 feet tall and the other was coral pink and said 20 to 25 feet. I believe the white to be a Natchez; has a wonderful scent! The coral is doing much better this year and has many large blooms that have a very spicy sweet scent. There is a light pink crepe myrtle that has been in this yard since 1959. It has a nice scent. Both of these are near my front door so visitors (if we had any) are greeted with a wonderful perfumed air. ;) Peggy
...See More
david883
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for the advise Annette. I have a feeling it could be a combo of our very harsh winter this year (and some late freezes after slightly warmer periods) combined with a very mild winter last year. Here's hoping it comes back in full force next year :)
thinman
9 years ago
For what it may add to the discussion, mine is blooming nicely up here in the northern LP. Very welcome blooms, too.

ThinMan
cenepk10
9 years ago
Mine bloomed like crazy in February ...:0)
schoolhouse_gw
9 years ago
I have two large shrubs, one bloomed but the other did not. They are planted appx. 6' apart. I'm not sure if they are same variety tho.
andreak100
9 years ago
We had a VERY mild bloom on one bunch of ours. The other two large bunches haven't bloomed at all. I'm figuring it had to do with our wacky winter. I wound up with a lose on hyacinths too that popped their heads up during a warm spell and then we had an extended hard freeze...I think they are done. :(
Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
9 years ago
I noticed the forsythias were quite interesting here this year. There were some that I saw that looked absolutely spectacular top to bottom with heavy bloom. Then others with exceptionally sparse bloom. And still others where there was only bloom clearly below what would have been the snow line. I don't usually see so much variation during the same spring as I drive around. We usually have banner years or not so much after rough winters. It was probably just your winter. Better luck next year!
How many times do we all say THAT during the gardening season?! LOL!
mnwsgal
9 years ago
I only have a small bush which was started from a cutting. It bloomed last spring but no bloom this spring, I was waiting for it as had forgotten where I had heeled the pot in for the winter.
grandmachris
9 years ago
No forsythia, no lilacs and a partial hit on the earlier hardy magnolia this year!

Maybe next year. I'm putting the blame on an untimely late freeze.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Top 12 Summer-Blooming Perennials for Deer-Resistant Drama

Can you have garden color, fragrance and exciting foliage with hungry deer afoot? These beauties say yes

LIFE Simple Pleasures: Spoil Yourself

By Laura Gaskill

Renew your spirit by indulging in treats, quiet time and letting someone else do your chores for once

MOST POPULAR Summer Crops: How to Grow Sunflowers

By Marianne Lipanovich

Savor snack-tastic sunflower seeds once the radiant blooms have faded — if the birds have saved you any, that is

WINTER GARDENING Pruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses

By Annie Thornton

Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape

LIFE True Confessions of a House Stalker

By Alison Hodgson

Letting go when a new owner dares to change a beloved house's look can be downright difficult. Has this ever happened to you?

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Top Mid-Atlantic Native Plants

By Curtis Adams

Enjoy a four-season garden in the mid-Atlantic region with plants that will stand up to weather shifts, clay soil and the occasional deer

LIFE 10 Ways to Work Through Grief Triggers During the Holidays

By Shelly Miller Leer

A year after losing her sister, she was facing another holiday. Here’s how one woman learned to find joy again

PLANTING IDEAS Great Garden Combo: A Fall Landscape Scene That Lasts

Span the seasons with trees, shrubs and grasses that offer color and texture in abundance

GARDENING GUIDES Attract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers

By Annie Thornton

Roll out a welcome mat for pollinators to keep your landscape in balance and thriving

BUDGET DECORATING Simple Pleasures: Treat Yourself to Cut Flowers

By Laura Gaskill

Enjoy priceless beauty with just a few inexpensive stems — and you don’t need fancy vases, either

Sponsored

12 Reviews

Pittsburgh's Custom Kitchen & Bath Designs for Everyday Living