What to Do With Forsythia in April – 3 Jobs to Do Now to Guarantee Glorious Displays Next Spring
After forsythia stops blooming, the time arrives to prep for next year
Forsythia shrubs put on a scintillating early spring display of bright yellow blooms. Once this fades, it is time for a few core maintenance tasks. Understanding what to do with forsythia in April sets the shrub up for a repeat performance next spring.
April is a prime time to prune, fertilize, and then mulch forsythia shrubs. This trio of tasks encourages lots of healthy new growth to carry next spring’s performance of blooms. You may also need to water shrubs during dry periods, and there is an opportunity to propagate new ones.
When you grow forsythia in your garden, always remember that April is a good time to head out and give your shrub some care and attention. It’ll reward you with another show-stopping display of flowers next spring to brighten up any cold, crisp early spring days. Here are the important jobs to add to this month’s to-do list:
Article continues below1. Prune After Flowering
Forsythia is one of the earliest spring-flowering shrubs, bursting into bloom from February to April, depending on your location.
As an early bloomer that flowers on last year’s growth, pruning forsythia post-blooming is the most vital job to do this month. Cutting the shrub back in April gives it lots of time to develop growth and buds for next spring’s display.
Once you see the old flower petals dropping, pick up the pruning shears and head outside to trim. Don’t wait until it is too late to prune forsythia, as cutting late in spring or summer can impact next year’s flowers.
Use clean, sharp pruning tools for trimming this month. For example. I have had a trusty pair of Felco F2 pruning shears for a decade now. It is durable, reliable, and has seen me through many pruning years, and you can get a pair Felco F2 shears at Amazon.
Start by removing any dead, damaged, or diseased stems from the forsythia. Some older, woody stems can be trimmed out to open up the center and allow for lots of air and light to reach the interior of the shrub.
Then, this year’s flowering stems can be cut back by up to a half to shape the shrub and encourage fresh, productive new growth.
2. Feed After Pruning
Early flowering takes a lot of energy out of a forsythia. The shrubs will benefit from a pick-me-up by fertilizing after trimming to give them a valuable dose of essential nutrients to spur growth to carry next year’s flowers.
A perfect product to fertilize the shrubs is a balanced, slow-release product, with an NPK of 10-10-10 or similar, such as this all-purpose plant food at Amazon.
Sprinkle the product at the recommended rate around the shrub, incorporate the granules into the top inch of the soil, and water thoroughly to activate the ingredients.
3. Mulch After Fertilizing
After pruning and fertilizing shrubs, the next job on any spring gardening checklist for forsythia should be mulching around them. It is a good idea to mulch with organic matter to retain moisture, suppress weeds, and provide nutrients as it breaks down.
Use organic mulch, such as compost, well-rotted manure, leaf mold, or bark chippings, and add a layer two to three inches deep. One example of such a product is this all-natural pine bark mulch at Lowe’s. Compost is always a great option, whether you make compost at home or purchase bags, such as this composted cow manure, from Amazon.
Spread the mulch over the roots of the shrub, but leave a clear ring a few inches around the forsythia’s base. Piling organic matter against the shrub’s stems is a mulching mistake, as it can lead to rotting.
Water as Required
April can be an ideal time to plant new forsythia shrubs, and they will need regular deep watering to help them establish in their new home.
Once established, forsythia are fairly drought-tolerant shrubs. However, they may need watering during particularly dry Aprils, especially in warmer climates.
The soil should be consistently moist, but not waterlogged, as forsythia can be prone to disease or rot when sitting in saturated soil for long periods. Consider investing in a soil moisture meter, such as this soil moisture meter at Amazon, to help decide when to water and reduce the risk of overwatering outdoor plants.
If you grow forsythia in pots as part of a container garden, these will need more watering in spring than in-ground shrubs to supply sufficient moisture for strong early-season growth.
Propagate by Layering
The most common way to propagate new forsythia shrubs is by taking cuttings. This is not a task for April, but there is scope to start propagating new shrubs by layering this month. This is a slower process that can be started in spring, using low-growing, flexible stems you bend down to touch the ground.
Scrape away some bark with a sharp knife at the point where the stem meets the ground, and peg it down using wire or landscape staples (you can get staples at Amazon). Cover the section with soil, keep it moist, and leave it for between a few months and a year to develop roots.
Next spring, you can cut the rooted section away and plant elsewhere in the garden or into a pot.
What to Shop
This forsythia is a dwarf variety that stays compact for outstanding spring color in smaller spaces. Its branches are packed with blooms for early pollinators.
These Corona pruning shears feature soft, ergonomically shaped grips for comfortable pruning. They also feature specially coated, non-stick blades to stay sharper for longer.
Hormone rooting powder helps to speed up germination, whether you propagate forsythia from cuttings or layering. It can be used on a wide range of plants, too, to promote root development.
We touched upon cuttings, and taking softwood cuttings is best done in late spring when there is lots of fresh growth to choose from. Alternatively, you can take semi-ripe cuttings of forsythia shrubs from midsummer.
Our guide to how to take forsythia cuttings talks you through the process, showing you how to take summer semi-ripe cuttings to get new shrubs for free to add to your garden.
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