Forsythia
Forsythia × intermedia
Family Oleaceae
Winter's official ending is a forsythia in full yellow — eight-to-ten-foot fountains of bloom on bare wood before anything else has dared. Cut a few budded branches in February and they'll open in a vase indoors, spring smuggled in weeks early.
Old gardeners use it as a calendar: when forsythia blooms, the season's chores officially begin. It's fast, tough on dry sites, safe around pets, and happiest given real room to arch and fountain. Set one loose along a fence line and let spring announce itself.
Full Sun
Low water
Fast growth
Attracts bees
From the print shop
Growing forsythia? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries forsythia — Forsythia intermedia, print Nº 189, “Forsythia.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what forsythia actually needs.
Hardy inZones 5-8Forsythia · Common problems
Common forsythia problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- None significant
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Gall (cosmetic)
Forsythia · Growing & propagation
Growing forsythia
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Low
Soil- Any · pH 6.0 - 8.0
Fertilizer- None needed
Pruning- Right after bloom (blooms on old wood)
Renewal-prune a third of oldest canes at ground level; NEVER meatball it — sheared forsythia loses the fountain and half the bloom.
Spacing- 6-8 ft
How to plant & propagate forsythia
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Forsythia · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Forsythia · Yearly calendar
The forsythia year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
Bloom
HarvestBloomMarch to May
HarvestFebruary
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
- Harvest — picking time — check ripeness every few days.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Forsythia · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Forsythia × intermedia
Forsythia in the garden system
- Shrub layer shrub
Attracts- Bees
Moisture- Upland / dry
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What forsythia is grown for
✓ Commonly eaten
- Use
- Spring signal
- Use
- Forcing branches
- Use
- Big informal hedges
Harvesting & storing forsythia
Cut budded stems in February and force them in a vase indoors.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Forsythia · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a forsythia variety
'Lynwood Gold'; 'Show Off' (compact, bloom-packed); 'Gold Tide' (groundcover)
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Forsythia
Forsythia × intermedia
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Forsythia × intermedia
- Plant family
- Oleaceae
- Growth habit
- Shrub · Perennial
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- FOIN3
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
for Forsythia
Research from these sources
Publisher marks identify sources, not sponsorship or endorsement.
Questions
Forsythia questions, answered straight.
Is forsythia safe for kids and pets?
Forsythia is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest forsythia?
Cut budded stems in February and force them in a vase indoors.
How do you propagate forsythia?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where forsythia sits in the library.
Rose
Hydrangea
Common Lilac
Azalea