This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Forsythia and Lilac assistance
Hello
I have a tall forsythia and lilac. I moved to the housr in November so haven't been looking after the garden long. The problem is that these two plants have leaves and flowers at the very top but are basically bare branches and dead wood from bottom to shoulder height. What can I do to rejuvenate them and get leaves and flowers lower down?

I have a tall forsythia and lilac. I moved to the housr in November so haven't been looking after the garden long. The problem is that these two plants have leaves and flowers at the very top but are basically bare branches and dead wood from bottom to shoulder height. What can I do to rejuvenate them and get leaves and flowers lower down?
0
Posts
I can't advise about the lilac, but with forsythia the usual advice is to cut it back after it's finished flowering as it flowers on this year's growth.
If you're not bothered about losing a year's flowers, you can cut it back now, and give it a feed. If you're sure some of the the stems are dead (try the fingernail test, where you gently scrape away the bark), then you can cut those right down to the ground. This will let more light and air into the plant as well.