Trying to change soil pH for long term planting never works. It's why many people grow things in large containers if they want something that won't survive in their soil
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Bringing this one back to life again! I have removed what appeared to be some sort of self seeded tree which had grown against the fence for past few years with my trusty new pruning saw.
Armed with my new RHS pruning guide I thought I'd take a look at the forsythia. It flowers fairly well, but is a little out of control and a bit bare on the bottom, though I have noticed quite a bit of fresh growth low down.
Other consideration is that the height and bareness low down my not be too bad as there are some sort of roses in front. Not sure what they are but I but out a load of dieback and black spot and they have put out some new growth
Threw in some fresh photos in case anyone has any pointers. Thanks again! Told you you would regret it
Pleased you’ve taken the plunge to make a start. Did the book say anything about hard pruning the forsythia, you can cut them right down, you won’t get flowers next year as they should be cut immediately after flowering, which is in the Spring, but you’ll get a nice lot of fresh green growth rather than bare wood.
Wherever you cut is where the new growth comes from.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
It does. Suggests over two years. I think I'll tidy it up lightly now, then be a bit more aggressive straight after it flowers next year to get the timing right, and not miss too much flowering also.
If you’ve just pruned it now, you’ll probably have lost the flowers for next year anyway. that’s why I suggested a harder prune. They flower on the green that’s there now, so if you've already cut some off you may as well go the whole hog and take it down a bit more. Up to you though. Every 3 or 4 years we take out the hydrangeas right down to the ground, every one is horrified but it works.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
The way I prune my forsythia is to take out about a quarter to a third of the branches each year, right down as near to the base as I can get. That promotes new growth from the base and leaves the other 2/3 or 3/4 of the existing branches to flower the following spring so you could do it now if you like. That way I get long arching branches of flower not the little twiggy stubs with a few flowers each that a badly-clipped forsythia has. If any of the branches left after this pruning have particularly ungainly bits, they can be pruned back to a junction with a main branch.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I feel you, tackling an overgrown garden can be overwhelming! Start by assessing each shrub's health – trim any dead or diseased branches. Then, try pruning each one in stages, removing no more than a third at a time. You got this! 🌿🪴
Armed with my pruning saw, my new book and a dose of bravery, I am now up to here. A huge amount of snowberry (I think) was ripped out too. Now the shrubs are thinned, the forsythia is showing a significant lean to the right because it was previously squashed over. Do you think it may be able to get a more balanced shape, in time?
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I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Armed with my new RHS pruning guide I thought I'd take a look at the forsythia. It flowers fairly well, but is a little out of control and a bit bare on the bottom, though I have noticed quite a bit of fresh growth low down.
Other consideration is that the height and bareness low down my not be too bad as there are some sort of roses in front. Not sure what they are but I but out a load of dieback and black spot and they have put out some new growth
Threw in some fresh photos in case anyone has any pointers. Thanks again! Told you you would regret it
Did the book say anything about hard pruning the forsythia, you can cut them right down, you won’t get flowers next year as they should be cut immediately after flowering, which is in the Spring, but you’ll get a nice lot of fresh green growth rather than bare wood.
that’s why I suggested a harder prune. They flower on the green that’s there now, so if you've already cut some off you may as well go the whole hog and take it down a bit more.
Up to you though.
Every 3 or 4 years we take out the hydrangeas right down to the ground, every one is horrified but it works.
I feel you, tackling an overgrown garden can be overwhelming! Start by assessing each shrub's health – trim any dead or diseased branches. Then, try pruning each one in stages, removing no more than a third at a time. You got this! 🌿🪴