Forsythia ‘Show Off’
Forsythia heralds the beginning of spring and offers refreshing bright color after the drabness of winter and also serves as a monitor for gardening activities – as the saying goes “prune your roses when the forsythia blooms”.
Most of us are probably most familiar with the old-fashioned forsythia (specifically ‘Lynwood Gold’) which quickly becomes a 7-8′ shrub. Now there is a new kid on the block. ‘Show Off’, a recent introduction from Proven Winners, boasts a more compact form at 5-6 feet tall and has slightly larger flowers.
Forsythia is easy to grow in a variety of soil conditions in sun or part shade. It can be used as an accent or in a border. A general all-purpose fertilizer may be applied before the blooms appear. After it has become established (following a season or two), prune following the bloom period by removing the oldest canes to the ground and the remaining canes by 1/3.
