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.

I would definitely do cuttings! After your forsythia is done blooming, just take some cuttings, wet the ends and dip in a bit of rooting hormone, and stick in the ground. Voila! You will have a forsythia bush in no time flat! I think you should have no problem doing this in a rocky area. I tend to think that the cuttings will take in amongst the rocks pretty well. I usually stick a bunch of cuttings in one spot, to help things along and make a fuller bush more quickly. I also used some long cuttings. Very easy! Good luck! :) Dee

Mandyvilla, I have a part shade to shade garden in Silver Spring, Maryland, But I'd be happy to root you some forsythia. I've also got some blue lobelia I can give you that will do well in full sun. No trade needed. Email me privately if you are interested at jkkaplan "@" erols.com Also on June 14 is the Washington gardener magazine plant swap at the National Arboretum Details: Starting at 11am bring your plants for sorting by category (shade perennial, groundcover, herb, etc.) -- swap starts promptly at 11:30am -- do not be late (the swap goes fast and can be over in a matter of minutes!) - after swapping, we can socialize, snack, and trade more info on the plants we brought - we plan to conclude and be cleaned up by 12:00noon. so you will have the rest of the day to plant and enjoy your Saturday. Place: US National Arboretum's R Street parking lot -- if it rains, we will move inside to the auditorium. Who: anyone is welcome as are any of your friends, relatives, or neighbors -- it is FREE -- feel free to forward on this invitation How: be prepared to BRIEFLY introduce yourself and describe your plant swap offerings Bring: ~ a name tag - home-made or from work or school -- whatever works ~ pen and paper - you will want to take lots of notes as folks describe the plants and their growing conditions ~ plants to swap - pot them up NOW -- the longer they can get settled in their pots, the better their chance of success and survival - (no plants to share? see note below) ~ labels - fully label all your swap plants with as much info as you have - optimally that will include: common and scientific name, amount of sun needed, amount of water needed, any other special care notes, and color of the blooms (if it is not currently in flower) What NOT to bring: common orange daylilies* and any invasive species - use this list to screen your plant offerings *Hybrid daylilies are fine and totally welcome, but the common orange ones (aka "Ditch Lilies") usually end up with no takers and we end up having to throw them into compost. What if you do not have plants to swap? Come anyway! Bring refreshments like cold drinks and yummy finger foods to share with the other swappers:-) Be sure to also bring cups, napkins, utensils, serving spoons, etc., if your food item requires those for consuming it.

Forget the water. I've never done Holly but both Weigela and Forsythia are very easy. Just obtain cuttings about a foot long. Strip off leaves over half the length. Stick the pieces into the ground up to half way and forget about them. Watch for new growth next spring. If you want to be a bit more fancy stick the pieces into pots of medium. But it isn't necessary. Forsythia in particular is probably one of the easiest shrubs to propagate. Holly from seed is going to be a gamble gender-wise. Think about it. Only females can produce seed so where would the males come from if females only produced females?