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Grafted forsythia with a floppy trunk

loriannenormanCxjxvb5CloriannenormanCxjxvb5C Posts: 10
in Problem solving
I bought a cut-price single stem grafted forsythia from the garden centre a few years back and it’s been in a large pot since then. It’s flowered and is still alive and in leaf however the trunk has flopped and cannot hold itself up without serious staking! I cut a couple of suckers off several months back but have never pruned it but wouldn’t say it’s top-heavy. I have just planted it in the ground today to see if it will be happier. It was a little bit pot-bound so I’ve just teased the roots a bit and added some fish, blood and bone to the hole.
Any ideas if there’s anything else I could or should be doing? Or is this one a write-off?
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited October 2021
    Hello @loriannenormanCxjxvb5C and welcome to the forum
    😊 

    i must say that it doesn’t sound a very successful idea and certainly not one I’ve ever seen.  In my experience forsythia branches are quite bendy and I think it would take a long time for it to be strong enough to self-support. I imagine it was supported by a cane when you bought it?

    Can you show us a photo of the whole shrub please,  to give us some idea of what might be a successful plan of action. 

    To upload a photo here click on the little landscape icon and follow the instructions …if your photo fails to appear reducing the size usually works. If it still doesn’t work give us a shout and someone will have an idea of how to help 😊 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That sounds odd. I haven't heard of one of those being grafted, but who knows.
    A pic will certainly be helpful, just in case it isn't actually a Forsythia either  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • loriannenormanCxjxvb5CloriannenormanCxjxvb5C Posts: 10

  • loriannenormanCxjxvb5CloriannenormanCxjxvb5C Posts: 10
    Thanks for your replies. I have added some photos, hopefully they are showing.
    It had a bamboo cane supporting it when I bought it but that was no longer up to the job.
  • loriannenormanCxjxvb5CloriannenormanCxjxvb5C Posts: 10

  • loriannenormanCxjxvb5CloriannenormanCxjxvb5C Posts: 10
    Sorry, couldn’t work out how to turn them the other way!
  • loriannenormanCxjxvb5CloriannenormanCxjxvb5C Posts: 10
    If it wasn’t tied on it would flip right over.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Forsythia suspensa has stems that are lax and floppy particularly when young, and are often grown against a fence or wall and tied in.
    I don't think I've heard of forsythia being grafted before, other than top-grafting on top of a long straight trunk to make a standard, and it doesn't normally flower this late in the year, but I can't for the life of me think what else it could be. Also, is that its normal leaf colour throughout the summer, or are they just turning ready to fall?

    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • loriannenormanCxjxvb5CloriannenormanCxjxvb5C Posts: 10
    The leaves were green but have just recently turned that colour. We are in Jersey so quite a warm climate which maybe explains the flowering. It did the same last year and still flowered in the spring.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    That makes sense!
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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