By REBECCA NORTON RYAN

Penn State Extension Master Gardener

I always look for my forsythia bush to be some of the first flowers of spring. Blooming during Eastertide caused the shrub to be known as the Easter Tree. Forsythia blooms are often brought into the home to celebrate spring.

The forsythia shrub is hardy to zone 5, which makes them perfect for Western Pennsylvania.

It grows best in full sun and in well-drained soil.

Forsythia is not an evergreen plant. The shrub will lose its leaves in fall and produce its beautiful flowers again in spring.

Forsythia is a very forgiving plant. It can tolerate poor soil, wet soil and even drought. To plant a forsythia shrub, place the plants 3 to 10 feet apart. Dig a hole twice as wide and just as deep as the root ball.

Place the plant in the hole and water well as you replace the soil around the plant. Forsythia does well with bone meal fertilizer. Forsythia can also be propagated through a method called layering.

Bend a branch and secure to the ground. The branch will grow roots where it touches the ground and in time may be cut from the branch of the mother plant, to be shared with friends and family.

The spreading nature of forsythia can be challenging. It can be happy to be allowed to grow in a sunny spot where it can tangle at will. It is great for a hillside where mowing is not possible or pruned into a hedge, just don’t let the pruning get ahead of you. Forsythia blooms on old wood.

Pruning within a couple of weeks after bloom ensures you will have flowers for next spring.

Bushes can live for 20 to 30 years and even longer.

Unlike invasive shrubs, forsythia does not crowd out our native plants.

The shrub is a haven for catbirds, mocking birds and cardinals.

Forsythia’s yellow flower attracts and welcomes bees and butterflies after our difficult winters.

I always use forsythia for my Easter table centerpiece. To force the forsythia to bloom, cut the woody stems and bring them inside. With a hammer pound the bottom of the woody stem to allow water to travel from the vase of water to the flowers. Place in a tall heavy crystal vase with 1 teaspoon of Clorox to keep the bacteria under control. In about two weeks the forsythia should bloom abundantly with lovely little yellow flowers.

African violets or other small blooming plants like primrose clustered beneath the boughs of the forsythia give the feeling of a garden and a pleasant welcome to spring.

(Rebecca Ryan is a lifelong resident of and gardener in the Bradford area.

She retired from teaching at Bradford Area School District.)