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Plant ID question #923235
Asked December 31, 2025, 8:20 PM EST
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Thank you for responding.
I have a follow on question. The forsythia is 7 feet tall and about 5 feet wide.
How low to the ground can I trim the plant with out killing it ?
I enjoy Forsythia and immediately after the flowers fade, I cut it down, leaving stubs to form new buds. Strong straight branches grow all summer, making a huge fireworks of flowering branches in (usually) early March. Some gardeners want the bush to gain size, say for privacy, and choose to remove about a third of the oldest main stems after flowering. This means there is always fresh branching to bloom heavily but it has a more continuous presence in the landscape.
Oh, and Forsythia is one you can force to bloom. Probably early February is when to cut and bring branches inside.
Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to respond to my questions.
Very much appreciated!