|
Fri, Apr 4, 03 at 22:42
| I have a leggy forsythia I grew from cuttings. It is now 3 yrs old and has bloomed. There is such a strong center branch - looks like a trunk. Is it possible to train it to a standard topiary? It's very tempting.
Any suggestions? Thanks Jeanne in 7B |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| I don't see why not. I used to work at a nursery, and one spring we did get a shipment of several topiary forsythias. These were "Northern Gold" which is the only variety that flowers fairly reliably in my zone 2b climate. It will grow almost as large as a lilac, and with similar leaves and growth habit, if not pruned. The topiaries we reieved were about 5 feet tall, a single stem with a small ball (maybe 2 feet across) of branches & leaves on top. They bloomed beautifully a few days after we got them and customers snapped them up immediately. I suspect you will get numerous shoots wanting to come from the base, but keeping these cut off shouldn't be a terrible job. Because of our climate there are very few truly small trees that do well here, and I've seem standard topiaries made of many large shrubs like Diabolo ninebark, red elderberry, dwarf Korean lilac, etc. They seem to do just fine as long as you keep on top of the basal shoots. corrie |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Topiary Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.