Forsythia: For Or Against?
Forsythia bushes bursting with bright yellow flowers is a common springtime sight in this part of the world, a sight that lifts the spirits of many. Yet not everyone loves forsythia. The anti-forsythia camp argues for an indictment of this shrub on the following counts:
An exotic, it is of little wildlife value in North America. No berries for the birds. Not a host plant for butterflies or moths. On the other hand, I have found borers in the stems on a couple of occasions.
Once the yellow flowers are gone, it offers little of interest for the rest of the year. Actually, they sometimes have decent fall color. But even so, this is a plant that fades into the background much of the year.
It creates a thickety mess if you turn your back on it. As they grow, forsythia stems will arch down to the ground, where they put down roots and start a new plant. Ignore them for a season or two and you will have a jungle on your hands, albeit a bright yellow jungle in springtime.
It is just too damn common. I suspect this is the single biggest reason people really don’t like forsythia, and I would agree that it is over-used. On the other hand, some would say that black-eyed susan, also known as orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida), is over-used. This may be true, but I still love black-eyed susan. Simply being common does not always make a plant tiresome. If it does or not seems to be a matter that is entirely personal and subjective.
I suppose I am a member of the anti-forsythia camp, but I try not to be rabid about it. The lack of wildlife value for me is the deciding factor. A few years ago, we had to remove a forsythia hedge on the east side of the house in order to waterproof the basement. I did not mourn its passing.
Instead, I took the opportunity to replace them with red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa L.), a native shrub with pyramids of small white flowers in spring, followed by bright red berries. It is a favorite of many birds, including cedar waxwings, orioles, and robins. I should confess that this is another shrub that will pursue world domination if not watched closely. Also, though the fruit is edible for birds, it is also toxic for humans.
I still have some forsythia in the mixed hedge along the west side of the back garden. I am trying to train these forsythia so that they will provide a better privacy screen, and also to prevent them from spreading in an unruly manner.
I admit that a well-pruned forsythia bush can be attractive, at least during it’s spring peak. Such a shrub is in front of one of the houses across the street. This forsythia is pruned to create an upright shape topped by arching stems that stop several feet above the ground.
At the risk of being repetitive, I have to mention again that a good native alternative to forsythia is spicebush (Lindera benzoin). This shrub has fragrant foliage, understated yellow flowers in early spring, is a butterfly host plant, and has attractive red berries of high value to birds in fall.
Which side of the forsythia divide are you on: for or against?
gardeninacity 
Forsythia looks to be an attractive plant. I think most people just grow what they want, and not really worry about the environmental impact of the plants they grow, however there are a lot of gardeners who do.
Most do not think environmentally, as you say, but I think there is a growing minority that does.
I don’t love it. I think you made a wonderful choice with the red elderberry though as a replacement. You have definately peaked my interest in the spice bush though. Only thing is I’m not sure how it would do with our extreme heat that gets up to 100 plus degrees some days.
It is native to places like Texas and Mississippi, so it might do OK in California. There might be a regional species of the same genus.
No species of Forsythia is native to anywhere in the United States. See http://bonap.net/TDC/ .
Exactly. That’s why I refer to Spicebush as a native alternative to Forsythia. Hope I was clear about that.
We dug ours out because the bullfinches ate all the flower buds year after year. What good is a forsythia bush with no flowers, ever, it had to go.
A forsythia without spring flowers is as useless as … well, you can fill in the blank.
Well, our street looks so pretty when it blooms, and I crave colour at this time of year. I agree there’s not much on offer for the wildlife, but if it’s planted among other more insect/bird-friendly plants, why not!
I wouldn’t quarrel with you. As I say, I’m not rabid about it. I just wouldn’t want to give a big chunk of limited space to it.
I would be hard pressed to give forsythia space in my own garden but do enjoy seeing it in bloom. For non-gardeners (hard to believe there is such a thing!), it is both fast-growing and no-fuss. Some of the newer cultivars are nice; the dwarf ‘Show Off’ offers profuse blooms on upright branches and the variegated forms, such as ‘Golden Times’, perk up the garden with their foliage. And for those with deer problems, it can be a godsend.
That seems reasonble.
I have to demur! Decades ago, growing up in the country in Connecticut (sorry) there was a lot of forsythia around. My older sister Cynthia thought it was named after her.
I loved the yellow flowers coming pretty early in the spring. In one area they had grown so out, not particularly up,, that it made a little hut where we could play and go and hide.
When I no longer livedchere, I begged for some so I could plant them behind a stone wall and watch as they bent over.
While they may not be constructively environmental, I believe they are native. Unless one wants to plant something else in that spot, IMHO, there is a place for all growing life to add flourishing and delight worth waiting for as the season announces itself.
Well, they are native somewhere, but not in North America. However, I still have mine, and I admit I am eager to see it bloom.
I used to be against but then this spring my ‘mother-in-law’ gave me a rooted cutting in full bloom… How could I say no? (to her I mean, not to some flashing yellow flowers…) The plant ended up at the far corner of the woodland garden, I certainly don’t want a blinding yellow flower against my red painted house…
If there was a competition, though, I would vote for the spicebush first (which I know thanks to you) and for the elderberry, always a good choice for wildlife.
A corner of a woodland garden does sound like a good place for forsythia. On the other hand, a forsythia next to your red house would be a good therapy for narcolepsy in spring.
I am against and removed them all except the low spreading one in the front as it fits in the front yard beautifully and is a stand out amongst forsythias. Here they badly bloomed because of our extremely cold and snowy winters. I vote for natives especially spicebush
You must have some very intense winters because the winters here don’t seem to slow down the forsythia.
Years ago we dug out a huge one that had become a nuisance because it was up against the house. This week I went into the woods and found two that I put on the edge of the woods so we will be able to see them in bloom but not have to deal with it. I’m going to check your Spicebush out, thanks.
The woodland does sound like a good place for it, as long as it isn’t going to spread aggressively.
So glad I am not the only one opposed to the yellow monster. As a confirmed birder I prefer fruit bearing shrubs but that is not the only reason to oppose this exotic. When I liver in rural Plainfield, the only bloom my bushes produced were on the lower branches protcted by winter snows
I can understand all the anti forsythia sentiment but then I try to imagine what spring would be without the brilliant bursts of yellow on every street in town. I think spring would be much less cheery without them.
The best displays I’ve seen are large masses planted on hillsides or at the edges of forests where they can grow naturally.
I wouldn’t quarrel with you. For me it is more of a question of not giving them to much of the limited space in my urban lot.
I agree with spicebush as a great alternative. . . love it. But I like forsythia too, used well. That means you shouldn’t prune it into any kind of tortured shape, and it shouldn’t be planted in one clump as a foundation shrub. Planted far away as a big mass, it does its job of hiding whatever you want to screen out, and the yellow color is brash and beautiful from a distance.
Yesterday we went to the Chicago Botanic Garden and saw a bank of forsythia blooming at the foot of a wooded hill, with a field of blue muscari blooming beneath. Beautiful!
FOR… It is trouble-free here in WI, I usually have a bird nesting in mine.
I haven’t seen birds nesting in it but that makes sense given its thickety nature.
I am definitely FOR forsythias. I particularly love driving the rural roads around here and seeing vast patches of it, growing wild. It is so refreshing to see such bright, brazen color glowing against the still mostly bare landscape. I have two bushes, and I tell you, I wish they would bend their stems down to take root and spread!
Your post reminded me that when I wrote my “What’s Blooming Now” post for May Day, I totally forgot to put in the forsythia picture! Now, do I go back and edit it in, or do I just wait and feature it in my next post? Hmm. . .
I hope you don’t mind; I put a link to this post in a new blog entry today, thanking you for reminding me about the forsythia! It got a post all of its very own!
Of course I don’t mind, thanks for including a link to my blog.
It depends on what time of year it is. In spring I’m for them; all other times of the year it annoys me. The birds love hanging out and nesting in mine, too. The rooting is a problem and I just know that trying to make my forsythia more manageable is going to be a whole weekend project.
So let me ask you this: would you give a lot of space to a plant that makes you happy only one season of the year?
Yes, I would. I have a set wall of forsythias running about thirty yards. It is about 8 feet in height too. It is home to many types of birds and it seems the sparrows just love it. I trim it three times a year and it provides such privacy. It is well worth the trimming time.
Many birds do like dense, tangly hedges, and that is something forsythia delivers.
I have mixed feelings about forsythia: its pretty in spring, but as you point out, there is nothing beyond an early spring show to recommend them. That it is common does not bother me in the least. I have a huge one at the side of the house that is a bit of a monster. After it finishes flowering, I am going to cut it back in half.
I don’t think you can really hold its ubiquity against forsythia. It is one of those plants that certain people find tiresome, but the same people may be fond of other plants that are equally common.
Although I appreciate the bright yellow early flowers, I am perfectly happy to admire them in the gardens of others. I grow a variegated variety F. ‘Fiesta’ which stays around four feet and adds foliage interest for the whole growing season.
I have not seen any compact cultivars of forsythia but that sounds interesting.
My daughter just loves forsythia, and she has convinced me to be in the “for forsythia” camp. She has actually made me look at a lot of plants differently. She likes them because she thinks they’re pretty, and doesn’t even know about the different camps for (or against) certain plants. I think that’s refreshing.
Sure. Gardens are like art, you should like what appeals to you, you should never not like something because somebody else doesn’t like it.
I have to admit to being in the anti-forsythia camp. Mainly due to the reasons you have quote Jason. My neighbour grows this, along with almost everyone else around here, but not in my garden. I probably wouldn’t mind the one growing on the other side of the fence if she didn’t prune it at the wrong time – I wish it looked like the one across the street from you. At this moment it has 2 little flowers and each time I look at it, I want to cut it down!! Oops, sorry for the rant, not my intention.
Never apologize for ranting. People who prune their forsythias or lilacs at the wrong time (say fall) drive me nuts. Especially if they do it year after year. Don’t they know these are supposed to be flowering shrubs? Do they even think that they might be doing something wrong when there are no flowers one spring after another?
I’m definitely in the “against” category. Although it can be beautiful in the spring, its form is usually unattractive and it simply takes up too much room. Room that would be MUCH better used by a native shrub of some sort. I inherited a large forsythia patch when we purchased this house and we’ve slowly started removing it. I haven’t replaced any of the bushes yet, but am leaning towards aromatic sumac (Rhus aromatica), here on the plains of Kansas. It’s native, with good fall color and wildlife value…plus it’s VERY hardy and can handle prairie inconsistencies with little trouble.
I would never plant one, and the wildlife value is the main reason. I do think it is pretty in spring.
I’m on the fence. Like you with your neighbors across the street, I’ve loved other people’s forsythia. Ours was here when we bought the house. I “learned” to prune on it by hacking at it in all the wrong ways. It survived. You are right that it’s boring after the flowers are gone and it does nothing for the birds or butterflies. However it will be a monster to dig out for two people with bad backs. On the other hand, I’d love the space for something new!
My way of dealing with that is … cut the stems to the ground and paint with round up when the cuts are fresh. Then let the stump slowly rot and put plants around it. I have tried this approach with yews and bridalwreath bush.
For…but n.i.m.b.y. I do like seeing it in other people’s yards at this time of year though.
Understandable.
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Hated it. (Living Color TV salute). Scrappy shrub with garish yellow blooms and nondescript green leafed shrub rest of year. Only reason to have one is for forcing. But can sneak a few branches of the hordes of bushes that are out there. Too pedestrian for my taste. Count me in FHC (Forsythia Haters Club).
Blessings,
Patrick
OK, Patrick, stop beating around the bush (so to speak). How do you really feel about it?
Since you just read my post, I bet you know my answer to your question. The tree and shrub nursery that I work with does grow fields of them for sale. They are very popular for homeowners too. You would be surprised how many buy this plant and never realize to what size it grows either.
You can see why people want them … they are easy, fast growing, and reward you with that fantastic show in spring. But there are better choices.
I definitely have to go with my love for the spicebush!! Forsythia is a bit overused in my opinion but then again I guess some could say the same for some of my plant selections!
I would love to replace forsythia with spicebush wherever the latter would be happy. Our gardens would be better, we’d have more butterflies, and the birds would be so happy!
Oh gosh, that’s a tough one. I like looking at other people’s Forsythias, but I’m not happy with mine. We have a row of dwarf Forsythias that are covered with Oak leaves, so they barely bloom. I’m not sure trimming them would really help, but maybe that’s what I need to do. I think they will be the next shrubs I will pull out. This year, I’m removing some obnoxious Currant bushes and replacing them with Red Twig Dogwood. Thanks for the Spicebush recommendation.
Why are your currant bushes obnoxious? I have two varieties of currants and am fond of both, at least so far.
Must admit Jason I am a gardening snob and have never planted forsythia in my own garden. Its a bit like dandelions, if they were not so common we would all be rushing to grow them- they are really quite magnificent!
I do have a large ten square metre clump of forsythia in Worsbrough cemetery garden that I maintain in Barnsley. It was completely raised to the ground five years ago and has rejuvinated to make a fantastic specimen – quite in scale on a thee acre site and I am sure it harbours plenty of wildlife.
A field of blooming dandelions is a lovely sight, it is true. Hard for me to conceive of a three acre site, but I guess you would have the room for 10 square meters of forsythia. I would love to have the ability to garden on such a big site, there is so much you can do (assuming you have the time, that is).
I didn’t know that Foresythia was not native. I see them around everywhere even by roadside that I thought they were native. Mine is a jungle mess, but I let it grow like that because I see lots of birds taking refuge in that mess.
Forsythia is one of those plants that will naturalize and it can have a kind of wild look to it, so I bet many people think of it as a native.
I don’t love them either never have. But ther people sure do because they are everywhere. I just planted 3 in a row to make a hedge this fall but only because they are one of the few shrubs that do well under walnuts and I really want the privacy. I hope to keep them looking pretty neat and I might plant something else in front of them yet like old fashioned hydrangea bushes or something. I think you have to take care of them for the wow factor. Great post! I like the elderberry and I have a few of a different variety and they do make great berries but the birds never eat them. My chickens love them though.
I didn’t know you had chickens. Do they fly up to eat the elderberries or do you cut the stems and put them where the hens can get at it?
WE just pick handfuls and give them as treats. if they escape out of the pen they will jump as high as they can to get at them- which is actually pretty cute!
Forsythia is one of those odd plants. I would probably never plant it myself, but I don’t mind it if it’s already planted (like ours was, by the previous owner many years ago).
If the garden is big enough and there’s the space then there should definitely be some room for forsythia. In a tiny garden like mine, I need to be much more careful about selecting plants for the value they bring (to me, to wildlife etc) and unfortunately, forsythia misses out for the reasons you mention.
Here on Forsythia Hill in Central Virginia, I LOVE IT. Unclipped please! It’s a great protector shrub for foxes, birds, and other wildlife (if a big enough clump). I’m linking to my blog post that shows a nice example of how it can be used and how ugly it can look pruned! http://forsythiahill.blogspot.com/2012/03/seeing-yellow.html. I think it also depends on the variety and how well it grows in your area. It was here when we bought the house and we have 2 acres for it to go crazy on. The tall variety if not the best shrub for a small lot – I love your choice of Elderberry – also a great plant! If it was not on our lot when we moved in I most likely would not have thought about it, I try to get native plants. I have learned to really appreciate it and love the Spring color – can’t be beat!
We have only a small remnant of what was here when we moved in. I wouldn’t plant it now, but I can appreciate its beauty. I was surprised that there was a lot of winter kill among the forsythia in this area when this spring came around.
My overgrown forsythia plant is a Winter Condo for small birds. I have at least 30-40 birds in the bush. In Michigan.
It’s true, they do like the cover that a big Forsythia provides.
Yes. I love my forsythia bushes because they provide refuge for flocks of New England finches in the winter. I place little cages of suet in the bushes (3 all together) and the birds love it. They line the side of my house so I can watch them all winter. I’m about to get a little heating bath which I will place near the bushes so they could have access to water.
Birds do generally like dense tangly shrubs, Forsythia among them.
I am against — The yellow isn’t attractive in my opinion. I have a neighbor who has it as a border between her house and the street. She then added it as a border between our yard (even though we already have pine trees). I don’t care, but I am perplexed. Isn’t there enough Forsythia? I just don’t think it’s attractive AT ALL. I don’t get it.
I agree that there is probably too much of it, but wouldn’t agree that it si completely unattractive in bloom.
I’m not in favor of forsythia. The brief beauty of the blooms is not worth the annual battle of pruning and digging out the spreading sprawl. I would like my small Chicago garden to be an oasis for wildlife. There are already far too many forsythias planted around our neighborhood.
How do I place a picture of my forsythias on this site?
Thanks,
~Joe Boris
Honestly, I’m not sure. Your computer doesn’t give you an option to copy and paste into a reply box? Maybe you could attach a link to your response?
I appreciate your point of view. I have used to have a whole hedge and I was glad to see it go. Now I have one struggling Forsythia and I’m reluctant to get rid of it.
against. for all the reasons you mentioned. my neighbor put a whole property length row of these and then put up deer fencing (understandable in our area, and i get the benefit of no deer on that side of my property) BUT the fence was put up right against her forsythia so now they bend over in our direction. i have a garden bed on the other side so i’m constantly pruning HER hedges. then she has the audacity to tell how & when to prune. they have snapped (onto our side of course) in snowstorms, etc. not a fan.
She must love her forsythia! Neighbors, ugh, don’t get me started. I would hack away if on your property — I mean really – CAN YOU KILL FORSYTHIA? I don’t think so! The biggest problem are the tips that touch down and root so you do have to continually hack back the edges or they will create babies. The best place for Forsythia is where it can free meander. I only have it where it can’t become a nuisance 🙂
Neighbors. Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em. Although, maybe you can live without ’em.
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I hate the ones that live on the property I bought. They are as invasive as bamboo. Just a real mess to look at. Got to go.
They’re not too hard to remove. At least not as hard as bamboo.
O a 2 acre lot I have lots of forsythia redbuds mock orange Japanese kerri organ grape and dog woods love them all , of course I have a wood land garden in central Verginia .
Sounds beautiful!!!
It seems apparent from the comments that forsythia do, in fact, have wildlife value for shelter and nesting. Used in a mixed border with consideration for wildlife value in other selections of shrubs and trees, they can increase the multi-season interest of the planting as a whole. The very early spring blooms in the colder zones are quite uplifting after a long winter.