What to do with frost-damaged forsythia?

9 years ago

My forsythia suffered the frost damage this past winter. Now it is slowly recovering, but its branches are still half-bare...What should I do? Should I leave it as is and hope they will fully recover? Or should I cut it to the ground and let the young growth sprouting at the base to replace the damaged branches?
Here it is:
{{gwi:266220}}

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Comments (6)

laceyvail 6A, WV
9 years ago
First of all, kill off the grass that grows right up to the plant and mulch it; then it won't have to compete with the grass. Then leave it alone--it's a young plant. In a month or so you can cut out what is clearly dead. BTW, I doubt you can kill a forsythia.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
cut off all the tall long branches ...leaving only the short stuff in the middle .. as close to the ground as you can

ken
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years ago
Why cut off the long branches? They are the newest growth and will flower next year. That would be the opposite of rejuvenation pruning.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
flora ...

its previously been pruned like a tree ...

you know as well as i do ... it should be a 3 to 4 foot shrub ...

its most aggressive new growth is at the bottom.. and i want to focus all the energy down there..

if done as i suggest.. those parts down low.. will be 3 to 4 feet tall by fall ...

the top parts... IMHO.. are damaged.. and though they will live ... the future of this plants is down low ...

and BTW green.. it did NOT suffer 'some frost damage' ... you probably had a z4 winter.. and the damage.. went much further than some frost ... in fact.. here in MI ... i bet i didnt see a handful actually bloom this spring ...

one last thing flora ... this is how it should have looked in late march/early april ...... in my z5 yard ... lets call it mid june... it has been severely damaged above.. though not killed outright... why waste energy.. seeing if it can mend all that up high.. lets focus all the energy down low ...

or do what she says... i dont care... lol..

ken
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
9 years ago
Ken, no I don't 'know' that it should be a 3 - 4 foot shrub. There are various Forsythias but most are not 3 - 4 feet if left to grow to their natural stature. If this shrub were mine I'd leave it absolutely alone until next year and see how it looks. The OP clearly has masses of space and I can't see any reason to beat it into submission or attempt to dwarf it.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 years ago
personal choice ... most peeps do prefer the wait and see method .. lol .. it takes the least amount of immediate labor ...

BTW.. if you have two that look like this.. experiment.. do one my way.. and one her way ... and let the chips fall where they may ...

ken