My nursery has never had anything that root bound. Lowes or Home Depot maybe. She should have been ashamed. It is beautiful and I hope that it flourishes for you.

A superior variety. Name is 'Lynwood', without the "Gold".

Although rootbound it looks like a nice specimen and they are so tough you could just lop off those roots with no ill effects. You can get your money's worth from your plant by taking cuttings. Forsythia is one of the easiest of all shrubs to propagate.

OMG.. a picture.. congrats.. welcome to the 21st century ...

personally.. you could have literally driven over it 2 or 3 time.. and then planted it.. and it would live.. dont worry about it ..

every single cutting will root in water.. and most will root and live.. if you simply stick them in mother earth in fall ..

they are indestructible ...

proper water for the transplant.. and you are all set.

ken

I just yesterday planted 2 of these myself (Lynwood Gold according to the tag). I planted them across the street from my house. I'm the only house on a cul de sac so even though they are not on my property, I still get to look at them :)
The plants I bought were in 10 gallon pots (huge) and I paid $15 each on sale. I agree with the other posters, an easy plant/shrub. As close to plant and forget as possible. And around my house the deer don't touch them!! (knock on wood).

Mzdee, Thank you for your comments and best wishes! I agree, the nursery should be ashamed for having not put this bush in a larger pot. I can't believe the bush survived having roots hanging out like that. It's so irresponsible! The bush looks just as gorgeous today as it did last night. I think the roots are loving the wide open frontier of nice, moist, well draining soil and the ability to sgtretch out.

Bboy, I prefer the Lynwood Gold over the one you mentioned, but I will always defer to your knowledge. I don't question that the one you mentioned is more superior, I just like this one..

Flora_uk, thanks! What we did is ever so carefully cut the entire pot around those roots so that the roots never had to be affected. I am stunned that roots hanging out like that didn't kill it!

Ken, Hi! Still no cell phone but we do have an Ipod Touch that takes pics. We're slowly coming into the 21st century lol Didn't you think those roots were the worst you've ever seen? I can't believe the nursery wasn't embarrassed over it, but they weren't.

GreenHavenGarden We posted pretty much at the same time so I didn't see your response earlier. Congratulations on getting your Forsythias on sale. Around here, Home Depot has them at decent prices but they only carry them in the Spring. Im going to buy 5 more from them at that time.

'Lynwood' and 'Lynwood Gold" are the same plant - the first is just the correct cultivar name but the plant generally gets labeled and sold under the second.

I can't believe the nursery wasn't embarrassed over it, but they weren't.

Why should they be embarrassed? This is what a very vigorously growing, spring season plant will look like at this time of year - a mass of new roots growing out of the container. Retail nurseries seldom have the manpower to keep potting up plants duirng the growing/selling season. The fact that this shrub looks so good at this time of year and with all thsoe healthy new roots is a testament that the nursery was giving it proper attention.

As long as there were no circling/girdling roots and you gently teased them before planting there is minimal concern. Like Ken said, you could drive a truck over this shrub before planting without issue. Some healthy, vigorous root growth is NBD.

I love my trees,
Home depot is usually the only place around here to get cheap prices but like you said they only carry them in the spring and I didn't buy them then. I was surprised to find these at a local nursery for such cheap pricing. I will eventually plant more also. I want to fill up the cul de sac. There are lots of woods behind it and I'm planning on using the forsythia as a backdrop to a perennial garden that will be on the lot across from my house.
And I agree with you, even if a nursery is busy and has a lot to do during the season, once the roots are pouring out of the bottom of the pot-it needs to be addressed!!! They should have offered a discount just because of that :)

Definitely a classic Forsythia. Fast grower and prolific bloomer. Keep in mind you'll have to prune old heavy canes to ground level if the plant starts to become unruly or thin.

It may be a few years but it might come sooner than you think. Either way looks like it has plenty room, which is perfect. So many people fail on this end.

I had a grouping of Fiesta Forsythia that where supposed be compact growers but instead where extremely vigorous (shoots up to 6' by late season) I had to prune it back and had to sacrifice the blooms. Great variegated foliage and bright red stems on new growth though.

{{gwi:255646}}

Didn't you think those roots were the worst you've ever seen? I can't believe the nursery wasn't embarrassed over it, but they weren't.

==>>> nope.. seen worse .. lol ...

it just doesnt matter with most shrubs..

i have had tubs like that.. that i literally had to jump on.. in my more athletic days.. to get the darn things out of the pot ...

seriously do try 'sticking' a few in sept or so ... and you will wonder what the bargain was on spending 10 bucks. other than not waiting 3 years for it to be that size ...

actually .. if you still have the pot.. fill it about half full with damp media.. 'stick' a dozen 6 inch cuttings in it.. and put it on the north side of the house.. and just dont let it dry too much.. and tip it on its side in winter .. and you will be surprised ...

the structure of that plant is not good ... it has been pruned for shipping and handling.. a forsythia ... at maturity.. is what i might call a spray form.. long arching straight branches that arch 4 to 6 feet up.. before falling to the ground.. and you should be able to look at yours.. and see that is not what you have.. so taking a few pieces out.. even on transplant.. is not going to hurt ... you will eventually be doing rejuvenation pruning on it.. to get toward the form i suggest ...

you inspire me with your drive and ambition to learn.. and that is why i always take the time to try to make you think about the next step .... you remind me of someone.. 20 years back.. though i didnt have the WWWeb to make learning easy ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: 8th pic

"the structure of that plant is not good"

As was said in The Honeymooners -----> To the moon, Ken! I believe you just told me my shrub is akin to the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. :(

... it has been pruned for shipping and handling.

You got that right! This thing is pruned ALL OVER. I'm going to have to get some close up pics of it. I asked the woman at the nursery why it was so pruned and she said to keep all the branches at the same length because some shoots were growing way too tall too fast and they wanted the bush to have a uniform appearance all around.

Be honest, is my bush doomed to be fugly? There are pruned branches throughout this bush. I hate seeing them. Oh, and when I kept expressing concern over the pruning she said hun, you won't even notice the pruning, this bush is going to grow so fast and so big that this pruning will NEVER be noticed. She was adamant about that.

I don't want my bush to be structurally unsound. Is it still wind tolerant? When you say it is structurally not good, is that from a structure point of view or an aesthetic point of view?

"you inspire me with your drive and ambition to learn.. and that is why i always take the time to try to make you think about the next step .... you remind me of someone.. 20 years back.. though i didnt have the WWWeb to make learning easy"

Your mentoring is priceless to me and no doubt to everyone on here. I love that you take the time to help me because you know more than just about anyone I know. Did you have someone who mentored you that taught you a few things on the way or was it all trial and error?

Oh and Gardengal, thank you for putting things in perspective for me. You're right, that large root system is to be admired, not criticized. The fact that the bush was growing so well in spite of them growing beyond the pot means they did indeed take good care to water and feed it. I am very grateful for that.

Whaas, I love your Forsythia pics. They are beautiful!

ilovemytrees - the woman at the nursery was correct. Forsythia is so robust the pruning will not inhibit it at all. Ken is right about some Forsythias which do indeed grow in a lax arching way (eg F suspensa' and its hybrids) but some do not and Lynwood is one of those.

To quote a great authority 'Google rejuvenation pruning'... This is what you will be doing to your Forsythia a few years down the line. Until then leave it in peace.

You have just planted one of the most foolproof shrubs known to gardeners. Relax.

after established.. which for this weed .. is next summer ...

you could probably cut the whole thing to 3 inches .. timing it right..

and the next spring it will leap to the sky and assume its proper natural shape ... though you will miss one season of bloom ...

of refer to link.. and start thinking about how to go about it in a year or to ..

just like trees.. there is no hurry with shrubs ... they will be there next year ...

have you rooted a piece yet.. it would have had you stuck it in winter ...

in march or so.. you can cut pieces off.. and bring them in the house.. and once they warm.. they will bloom ... part of the rejuvenation process .. and again.. if you leave them there long enough.. they will root ...

if you want to get 100 of them in a shipping container.. what you see.. is what you get.. IT IS NORMAL.. for the market .... nothing wrong with it...

and thereafter ... you can make it anything you want..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

have you cut a 6 inch branch and stuck it in a glass of water yet???

ken

Not yet.I want to get used to this bush first. I'm going to leave it in peace for a little while til I have more confidence that I know what Im doing...

It's so funny to see them so small in the pics up above. They are HUGE now, at least 7 feet tall. lol I guess they're very happy where I planted them because they're growing and spreading out and taking over the front yard. I removed the fencing last year, since rabbits and voles have zero interest in them. As for the nursery, they are the only game in town.