Hello all!
I have two approx 20' hedges of 6-8' forsythia growing along a damp shady woodland border of my property. I neglected to prune them immediately after they finished blooming this year. (yeah, alright, and the past 2 years also) I was wondering just how much damage I'd do to next year's bloom if I hacked at them now? A very wise old gardener whom I learned much from as a child, told me the best time to prune is when your tools are sharp and you have the time. I recently replanted and neatened up the lowers growing borders between and adjacent to the forsythia so it's making the unruly shrubs look extra sloppy and overgrown. What do you think? Is it worth the risk of reducing next year's golden bells or would I still have a decent show of flowers?
Thanks for your info and opinions.
Cleo (me)
late pruning
I have 7 forsynthia's on our property and I have always pruned them anytime after flowering till about a month before frost. I am not an expert but it has never damaged mine. Of course anytime you prune them you reduce their size, and also their flowering but I have always felt it best to keep them pruned. We do have one monster sized one that even pruned is just huge. I hope this has helped. This is our really large one! I have not pruned it back yet!
dj
You could do a thinning prune removing old canes from insside the plant and just neatening them up instead of a hard prune. Then prune heavily next yr after they bloom.
I think you could prune away to suit yourself right now. I've seen a lot of hard pruned forsythia in the spring ( usually by hired landscapers ) that just has less flowers in the obviously pruned areas. They bloom in the middle of the shrub too - right? If you are trying to get the shrubs back in bounds and neaten what you have to look at until frost, then I think this summer is as good a time as any to do it. My neighbors use a hedge trimmer all year on large azaleas to keep them in check and all it does is reduce the flowers on the top layer. Also if DJ's experience matches yours, then pruning now will give them 4 + months to set flowers on the new growth.
I would second pruneing the old branches all the way back vs pruning the perimeter. Better for blooms next year & better for plant.
I would shorten the branches to keep them from touching the ground because my forsythia likes to root the ends and I end up with a tangly mess. They love to root in my garden beds also, requiring that the volunteers be hacked out and disposed of. Pruning back is easier than that. If you shorten the branches this season, you will still have flowers next year and you can do more aggressive shaping then after they bloom. Pretty hard to mess them up, though.
Martha