Forsythia - old and gnarled - not been cut back for 9 years!!

miss_bargainmad

We've not done anything with this forsythia apart from the odd trim for 9 years (same with some lilacs in our garden) as we are very reluctant gardners.

It has very few flowers on it this year and looks really dead - full of what look like large knots/clusters.

Should we just cut it down to nothing and will this work for next year?

Busybody

Some of them have not yet flowered properly. I would leave it a while and then give it a very good cutting back if it is very big and you want it a lot smaller it does no harm to cut some of the main stems off. drastic I know but they always bounce back!. As for the Lilac wait until they have flowered.:T

stilernin

miss_bargainmad wrote: »

We've not done anything with this forsythia apart from the odd trim for 9 years (same with some lilacs in our garden) as we are very reluctant gardners.

It has very few flowers on it this year and looks really dead - full of what look like large knots/clusters.

Should we just cut it down to nothing and will this work for next year?

Forsythia flowers on 'last year's' growth so if you are sure that you have had all of the flowers you are going to get this year you can prune now.

Before you begin, have a good look at it's shape and decide what shape you will be aiming for. Keep some of the framework but cut out the oldest wood to let some air in. The knots and clusters will probably be where branches have grown too close in the past.

Don't be afraid to cut it back hard, it will be fine even though it will look very odd to begin with. Best to cut some branches out completely, rather than every one back half way IYSWIM

The new growth you get this year, will flower early next year and then you will be able to prune back to a nice shape again.

Not too sure about lilac, I'm sure someone will be along soon to help out.

Lord_Gardener

Forsythia

Try not to prune too hard or this will really stress the plant - I've seen a few dead ones due to this practice! If over grown best option is to prune back flowering shoots after blooming and remove 1/3 of mature branches. repeat this process for the next 2 years to bring your plant back into good order.


Lilac

Normal pruning is to remove old and non/poor bloom producing branches after flowering. You really need to know what variety you have to know its ideal size. If they are over grown for your garden then remove approx 1/3 of branch lengths to reduce canopy size. To get the best from your Lilac give them a good feed each year and you'll get blooming great results!