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Northern Gardening

how to prune a forsythia

14 years ago

Can anyone tell me how to prune a forsythia that has not bloomed this year? This is our second year living here- the first year we had some blooms- this year none. The prior owner told me she never had blooms- I must be magic. No magic- just too busy the first year to prune it so it flowered, the second year I pruned it because it grew to a giant. I just wanted to get it back into shape and I screwed it up. Any suggestions?

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Comment (1)

liza070831
14 years ago
If you want blooms next year you will have to leave some of the canes. The trick to getting a flowering shrub smaller is to remove the oldest canes (about 1/3 of the bush) and leave the new growth to flower next year.
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