I’m not sure I should even be posting about this, but it’s part of an annual tradition for me and something I like to track, so here goes.
Here is the forsythia out in bloom this year.
Impressive, n’est-ce pas?
Allow me to look back 4 years to our first spring here.
Yeah. So apparently we have not been good for the forsythia. Our bushes are doing big fat nothing this year.
After a few years of less than impressive blossoms, I gave it a vicious haircut last spring. It didn’t bounce back the way I hoped. In fact, we have the fewest blooms yet–three. Yes, I counted.
Even the green leaves don’t seem to be as plentiful. Some of the old branches that I trimmed last year have hollow centres. Anyone know if this is a symptom of anything?
I’m choosing to believe that the forsythia is still in the process of bouncing back, so maybe new growth will come this year, which will bring more blossoms next year.
A girl can dream, right?
Any ideas of how to convince the forsythia to bloom?
Home on 129 Acres 
My friend’s parents have cut their forsythia all the way to the ground and it’s come back. But apparently it does bloom on old wood so maybe you just lost a year.
That’s encouraging, Chad. Thanks.
Also didn’t you have an ice storm late in the year?
That’s true. I guess that could have hurt some of the buds.
What I have always heard about forsythia is that you cut back or out, a third of the canes each year, presumably the largest ones. And you do that soon after the bush blooms (or after it SHOULD bloom). If you gave it a trim last year, the three buds just happen to be ones you missed. It will come back, but will take a while. Any damaged or hollow canes should be cut down.
Thanks for the advice. A third of the canes. That’s a serious haircut!
That’s too bad! How about some fertilizer?
I confess, I have no idea where to start with fertilizer.
Me either. Miracle Gro? Mushroom fertilizer – Sharon swears by it for roses, or how about manure? I dunno, one of those things people talk about but I rarely do.
Oh, they are beautiful! Thank you for these lovely photos.
The ones that bloom are beautiful. I’d just like a few more!
Mom gave me a start of her forsythia just this year!
You still have a lot of green so I would say the weather just played havoc with your blooms this year. 😦
Fingers crossed that’s the case. Good luck with your forsythia.