Forsythia Hedging Plants Description
Forsythia is known for being a tough and reliable hedging plant that creates a dense, strong hedge in sunny or partially shaded conditions. Its beautiful flowers will start to bloom in spring, just before its vivid green leaves appear. During the autumn, the leaves will start to turn a vibrant red, so if you like to watch the change in seasons, there is no better hedge plant than Forsythia.
Forsythia hedging grows by up to 40cm per year, so you will need to keep it in check with some light maintenance, if you'd like to neaten it up. It's a vigorous grower, but if looked after correctly, it's a truly stunning plant. Forsythia should be pruned once its blooms start to fade, but before they die off completely. In springtime, old branches should be removed to allow more light into the shrub, allowing it to grow new, manageable shoots. For more pruning information, please see the pruning advice tab.
Hedges Direct sells pot-grown Forsythia all year round, or as bare root hedging plants from November until spring. If you'd like to find more flowering hedge plants to complement your Forsythia, we have a wide range available.
Youll see our recommended planting densities for each size and root type listed next to the products below. We suggest that you use these as a guide, taking into consideration how long youre willing to wait to see your finished hedge. As a rough indication bare roots can be planted at anything from 3 to 7 per metre and cell grown between 4 and 6 - the higher densities here would need to be planted in a double staggered row or zig-zag.
For more information on planting distances please see our
planting density advice section. Prices shown are the price per plant unless otherwise stated.
Forsythia should be trimmed in spring as the blooms begin to fade as the growth from this point onwards provides the wood on which next year's blooms will form. Pruning again later in the year will then reduce the number of blooms the following year.
Forsythia by its nature is quite an informal arching, flowing hedge and whilst it can be trimmed into a neat hedge, it is most likely not going to have the level of flower production that a more natural shaping would encourage.
Ideally, once the blooms begin to fade away, prune back around a quarter of the length from all stems, shaping it as desired and then leave to grow naturally.
Every other year, to ensure that enough light gets into the centre of the shrub to keep it healthy and productive and sneding out new fresh shoots, cut about a quarter of the older more established stems right back to ground level from the centre of the shrub.
When carrying out any pruning on Forsythia always remove any damaged or diseased stems or those that may be crossing each other which will prevent proper upward growth. Also take out any stems that are bending over close to the ground.
If you inherit an old, overgrown Forsythia that isn't looking its best, there is good news! Forsythia once mature, can tolerate an exceptionally hard prune so it's best in this instance to cut all the stems right back to around 4 inches from the ground. This may seem brutal, but it allows a lot of light into the centre of the plant and forces brand new manageable growth out. It may take a couple of years before it looks full again but it will be worth the effort!
Free delivery is available on all orders providing they meet the minimum spend criteria for the size of box or pallet. Pallet deliveries and large box deliveries for tall plants are indicated by icons on the product table listings. Delivery costs and minimum order details for each packaging type are as follows:
Packaging Type | Standard Delivery Charge | Minimum Order Values (incl VAT) for FREE Delivery |
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Small Box (Bare Roots up to 1.2m) | £12 delivery charge (orders up to £100 incl VAT) | Orders of £100 and over - FREE |
Box (Pots up to and incl. 7.5L) | £12 delivery charge (orders up to £100 incl VAT) | Orders of £100 and over - FREE |
Large/Tall Box (Tall bare roots 1.2m +) | £18 delivery charge (orders up to £120 incl VAT) | Orders of £120 and over - FREE |
Pallet (Root balls, large pots, trees etc) | £60 delivery charge (orders up to £240 incl VAT) | Orders of £240 and over - FREE |
There are some exceptions to the standard delivery pricing structure, which relate to deliveries to more remote areas, overseas, or extremely tall plants requiring specialist delivery - for more information see the
Delivery Information Page. (Please note that due to new Brexit rules, we are currently unable to export to both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.)IDelivery Time - Please note that due to high demand, current delivery is 14-28 days! (Some trees can be 10-14 days delivery as standard - see product pages for info.)
It's Convenient - no need to wait in all day to sign, we don't need a signature (the odd, larger order may require a signature but will be delivered at a mutually agreeable time)
It's Tried & Tested - we use only couriers who have shown consistency in their efficiency & care
* Please note that delivery costs are based on the final order amount in your cart
after any discounts have been applied.
Hedges Direct 12 Month Plant Guarantee
Our plants are guaranteed for 12 months after delivery subject to specific criteria. Visit our
Hedges Direct Plant Guarantee Page for full details.