Martin’s Garden Notes
Forsythia are a great welcome to spring with their bright golden blooms. They grow quite large so you don’t need many. Give Forsythia about 8 feet by 8 feet of space. When large enough, you can cut branches in the winter and let them bloom in a vase. After a few years, remove a few of the oldest branches to the ground when blooming is over. This encourages new shoots so your Forsythia will maintain a graceful form and a manageble size.
Witch Hazel bloom even earlier than Forsythia, often in mid February. They grow in an upright vase shape , we stock Arnold’s Promise a yellow and a red-orange variety. A good companion for Forsythia is the Rhododendron PJM, a popular variety with purple blooms that contrast nicely with Forsythia.
There are similar varieties including Aglo (hot pink) and Molly Fordham (white) that bloom a little later for a nice sequence.
For later blooms, Viburnums of several varieties and Weigela, wich grow in the same manor as Forsythia, blooms in late May in red or pink.