Forsythia care guide: when & how to prune, fertilize and spray

When: from 1 week before to 3 weeks after the last spring frost.

• zones 3–5: about May 3–31
• zones 6–7: about Apr 8 – May 6
• zones 8–10: about Feb 18 – Mar 18

This shrub sets next year's flower buds over the summer. Pruning within a few weeks after the flowers fade gives the most blooms next year. Prune later and you cut off the buds.

1. Wait until the last flowers have faded.
2. Remove dead, damaged and crossing branches first.
3. Renewal-prune: cut one-third of the oldest, thickest stems right down to the ground. Over three years this replaces the whole shrub with vigorous young wood.
4. Shorten overly long stems to an outward-facing bud or side branch to shape the shrub. Avoid shearing it into a ball.
5. Very overgrown shrubs can be cut to 4–6 in (10–15 cm) from the ground right after flowering. They'll regrow fully in 2 years.

Tools: Bypass pruners, Loppers

When: from 1 week before to 3 weeks after the last spring frost.

• zones 3–5: about May 3–31
• zones 6–7: about Apr 8 – May 6
• zones 8–10: about Feb 18 – Mar 18

A single spring feeding as growth starts covers most shrubs for the year.

1. Scatter fertilizer at the label rate from near the stems out past the drip line, where the feeder roots are.
2. Water it in thoroughly.

What to use: 🌿 Balanced organic granular fertilizer (e.g. Espoma Plant-tone 5-3-3) · Slow-release balanced fertilizer (e.g. Osmocote Smart-Release 14-14-14)