Lynwood Gold Forsythia

Lynwood Gold Forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia 'Lynwood Gold') is a vigorous, upright deciduous shrub about 2m tall and wide that covers its bare branches in bright lemon-yellow stars in early spring, usually before the leaves appear. It is the clearest sign in a cool-climate garden that winter is ending. The show is brief, and the rest of the year it is a plain green shrub, so plant it where it can play a supporting role.

Why you'll love it

• A burst of winter-to-spring colour. Four-petalled, starry lemon-yellow flowers wrap every branch in bright colour while little else is blooming.
• Flowers before the leaves. The blossom arrives on bare wood, so nothing hides it and the whole shrub glows.
• Frost hardy. Cold winters suit it, and it is at home in gardens that get a proper chill.
• Takes almost any soil. It grows in a wide range of soils, so it is an easy plant to place.
• Responds well to pruning. It can be shaped as a hedge or even clipped into topiary.

Where it works best

Borders and feature planting. Use it as a backdrop shrub, with spring bulbs and perennials in front to take over when the flowers fade. The summer foliage is a plain green background.

Loose flowering hedge. Plant 1.5m apart for an informal flowering hedge. At that spacing the plants meet in two or three seasons, and a tidy-up after flowering keeps the line neat.

Topiary and shaping. It tolerates clipping, so it can be shaped into a hedge or a formal form if you accept a smaller flower display.

Growing Lynwood Gold Forsythia in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade. Forsythia is a cool-climate shrub: it flowers best where winters are properly cold, so it is happiest in cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and good in warm temperate ones. We do not recommend it for warm subtropical or tropical regions, where mild winters give a sparse display.

Soil. It tolerates almost any soil type. Dig in compost on poor ground, and mulch to hold moisture while plants establish.

Water and feed. Mulch and water well while new plants are establishing. After that it needs little extra water in most climates. Apply a slow release fertiliser after pruning.

Pruning. Prune straight after flowering, cutting the flowering stems back to a lower side shoot. On mature shrubs, also cut one in five stems to ground level at this time to keep the plant open and productive.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Lynwood Gold Forsythia as tube stock (a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly), in 140mm pots in packs of 10 and in 200mm pots in packs of 6. Tubes are the economical way to plant a hedge or a border, while the 140mm and 200mm pots give a more established shrub. As a deciduous plant it may arrive bare in winter or early spring, which is normal. Expect leaves in spring and flowers on established plants in the following spring.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• More deciduous shrubs
• Frost hardy plants
• Hedging and screening plants
• How to create a great hedge and keep it sharp

Common questions

When does forsythia flower?

In early spring, usually before the leaves unfold. The display lasts a few weeks, so enjoy it while it is on.

When should I prune it?

Straight after flowering. The flowers form on the previous season's wood, so pruning later in the year removes next spring's display.

Will it flower in a warm climate?

Flowering is best where winters are cold. In mild-winter regions it may flower sparsely, so we recommend it for cool and cooler warm-temperate gardens.