Growing the Show Off® Forsythia

Size and Appearance

The Show Off® Forsythia is an upright deciduous shrub that is fast-growing and reliable. Within 3 years it will be 3 feet tall, and it matures not much later at 5 or 6 feet tall. It has long, upright stems with many side branches, spreading outwards into a shrub around 5 or 6 feet wide. The sturdy branches are covered in slightly-knobby yellow-brown bark, which is mid-brown on older branches. The leaves are unusually large and flat compared to other forsythia, and they measure over 3 inches in length, and they are almost 1½ inches wide. They have a smooth, slightly glossy surface, and they are flat and oval, with a smooth edge, without the serrations seen on most other forsythia plants. They turn yellow in fall.

Flower buds form in the late summer of the year before, and sit on the stems through winter. After a period of cold they are ready to go, and the first warm days of spring bring them bursting out on the bare stems. Golden yellow bells, almost 1½ inches across, cluster in heavy bunches all along the stems, from the ground to their tip. Unlike older varieties, the stems continue to bloom for many years, and the bush remains neat, minimizing or eliminating the need for pruning. The blooms stay gorgeous and colorful for 2 to 3 weeks, before disappearing among the new leaves that are now beginning to grow.

Using the Show Off® Forsythia in Your Garden

Flowering early, when the weather is still cold, you should place your Show Off Forsythia in a place where you see it coming and going from home, or out of a window. Plant it among shrubs that bloom later, and it’s also great on a lawn or among the foundation planting around your home. Grow it too along the edge of more natural areas, where it adds a terrific burst of spring color, and then quietly grows for the rest of the year. It also makes a great medium-sized screening hedge, bushy in summer and drop-dead gorgeous in spring. Space plants about 3 feet apart in a row for a continuous and beautiful hedge that needs no pruning.

As well, once there have been a couple of months of cold winter weather, you can cut branches from your bush and bring them indoors in a vase. The warmth will quickly bring them into bloom – lovely!

Hardiness

The Show Off Forsythia is hardy in zone 5, and all the way into zone 8. In zone 4 the flower buds are often killed by late cold snaps, so for varieties hardy there, check our current range.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun will always give the most flower buds on your plants, but the Show Off Forsythia can be grown in partial shade too, as long as it gets at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. It isn’t fussy about soil, and grows well even in poor soils, but of course better in a spot where you have enriched the soil and dug it well. Good drainage is needed, so don’t plant in wet places. Once well-established it is resistant to ordinary summer drought, although in hot zones it makes sense to water from time to time in summer.

Maintenance and Pruning

You won’t have to worry about pests or diseases, as they rarely bother these plants. Some people find it deer resistant, but others don’t – that’s deer for you. You don’t really need to prune the Show Off Forsythia, but once plants are older it is a good idea to remove a few of the oldest branches close to the ground. As well, trim back any long, untidy shoots. Prune as soon as the flowers fade.

History and Origin of the Show Off® Forsythia

The background of forsythia is a bit complex. Two different species were introduced into Europe and America from their native land of China around the middle of the 19th century. One, Forsythia viridissima, is an upright shrub, and the other, Forsythia suspensa, is a trailing or rambling shrub, still grown today as a wall plant. Not many years after they were introduced, in 1885 at the Göttingen Botanic Garden, Germany, they were crossed together, creating a hybrid. That plant is called Forsythia x intermedia, and it’s the parent of most of our garden forsythias, including the popular variety, ‘Lynwood’.

In 1977, at the Farmington Valley Nursery in Connecticut, Harry Wilcox Jr. found a branch that had white and green variegated foliage growing on a plant of ‘Lynwood’. He named it ‘Fiesta’. 20 years later, at his nursery in Angers, France, Jean-Paul Davasse saw a plain green shoot growing from a plant of ‘Fiesta’. It should perhaps have simply been the original ‘Lynwood’, but it wasn’t. The leaves were different, and the plant was shorter and generally neater and more compact. He named it ‘Mindor’. This is the plant we know as Show Off®, a registered trademark name owned by Spring Meadow Nursery of Michigan, who released it under their Proven Winners® brand.

Buying the Show Off® Forsythia at the Tree Center

Finally, a neat and tidy forsythia. The Show Off® Forsythia is a real breakthrough, and gives that plant, usually so unruly, a place in every garden. Now you can enjoy brilliant garden color to welcome in the spring, so order now and discover for yourself just how terrific it is. This is a unique and special plant, and our stock is constantly running out, so order now – we will soon be putting up the ‘out of stock’ notice on it again.

Growing the Gold Tide® Forsythia

Size and Appearance

The Gold Tide® Forsythia is a low-growing deciduous shrub, typically reaching about 20 inches tall and spreading its arching stems over an area up to 4 feet in diameter. The branches rise up at 45 degrees, and arch over as they grow, creating a semi-weeping effect. The stems have a rough, yellow-green to beige colored bark, and the leaves are tightly spaced along the branches, giving a look that is denser than we usually see in forsythia. The leaves are oval, tapering to a point, with fine serrations along the edges, and they are about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide, colored a bright mid-green.

This shrub comes into bloom very early in spring, with the first arrival of warmer days, and well before the leaves. Blooming on bare stems intensifies the effect, and this variety is a very profuse bloomer, much more densely covered in blooms than most other varieties of forsythia. The flowers are clustered all along the branches, in groups of four, and each bloom is a 1-inch trumpet, deeply divided into 4 flaring petals. The color is a vibrant and showy bright yellow, beaming out like sunlight across the garden. Once December has passed you can cut branches and bring them indoors. A few days in a vase and the blooms will open – an early promise of what is to come.

Using the Gold Tide® Forsythia in Your Garden

Grow this beautiful shrub in the foreground of larger beds, or set back a little in smaller ones. Plant it spaced 3 feet apart to create a continuous ground cover, or plant individually as a specimen. Grow it on banks and slopes for a cascade of gold, or at the top of a wall, where it will spill over in a very attractive way.

Hardiness

The Gold Tide Forsythia is hardy even in zone 4, but it will not flower, as the flower buds are not as cold-resistant as the leaf buds. In zone 5 it will often bloom well, but in years with late cold-snaps the flowers may be damaged. In all warmer zones, right into zone 9, it blooms reliably and profusely. See our current selection of other forsythia for more cold-resistant forms.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun will give the best results with the Gold Tide Forsythia, but it will also grow well with a little partial shade. This rugged and reliable plant grows well in just about any kind of soil, including rough urban soils and heavy clays. The soil should be well-drained, and even dry soils are tolerated well once the plants are established. This tough plant is hard to kill, and it will even grow beneath black walnut trees, notorious for killing most plants planted near them.

Maintenance and Pruning

Pests and diseases are rare on the Gold Tide Forsythia, and deer don’t usually bother it either. Pruning established plants immediately after flowering, removing stems that have flowered for more than one season, will keep it from becoming too tangled and untidy. Alternatively, cut back to a few inches from the ground every 3 or 4 years. Do not prune once leaves are developing, as this will reduce flowering in the next year

History and Origin of the Gold Tide® Forsythia

Forsythia x intermedia is a plant that was found around 1885 growing naturally in the Göttingen Botanic Garden, Germany. It was apparently a hybrid between two Chinese species growing near each other – Forsythia suspensa and Forsythia viridissima. A plant of this hybrid was sent to the famous Arnold Arboretum near Boston, Massachusetts in 1889, and from there it spread to nurseries and into gardens, becoming very popular.

The variety we know by the registered trademark name of Gold Tide® was created in the 1980s by Alain Cadic at his nursery, Agri Obtentions, in Guyancourt, France. He exposed plants of the forsythia variety ‘Spring Glory’ to gamma ray radiation, which is known to create genetic mutations (sounds like a bad thing, but it just means a change), and collected seeds. Among the seedlings was one that grew very differently, with a low, arching habit. After further study of it he named it ‘Courtasol’ and sold it in France with the trademark name of Marée d’Or®. He also patented it in the USA in 1995 (PP# 9,104, now expired) and it is here sold as Gold Tide®.

Buying the Gold Tide® Forsythia at the Tree Center

This plant, with its unique origin (don’t worry, it isn’t radioactive, and it doesn’t glow in the dark) is a lovely and unique forsythia that is perfect for ground cover or planting on slopes. Very easy to grow, and reliable even in the most difficult locations, it’s a real winner and a great plant. Order now because our stock is limited, and it will sell out fast.

One of those times is late winter and early spring, when the weather has warmed slightly but there’s still a risk of a late frost. Most plants have evolved to hold off flowering until that risk has gone entirely, but there are a brave few that will take the chance. Planting these will get your garden off to a flying start every year. One of the most impressive is the forsythia aptly named “Show Off”.

Growing Show Off Forsythia Shrubs

Show Off is classed as a cross, with the botanical name Forsythia × intermedia, but in fact it’s a naturally occurring mutation of the intermedia variety “Fiesta”. The result is a mid-sized shrub that grows to between three and six feet high and about the same across. It’s known for its exuberant growth and upright spread, and will enliven your garden all summer with attractive dark green leaves up to around three and a half inches long, but its real attraction ill show itself even before the leaves.

Most shrubs produce new foliage in early spring, then start blossoming a few weeks later, but not this one. The first thing to happen when it awakens from its winter sleep is an eruption of bright yellow, funnel-shaped flowers. This display is truly spectacular, and usually covers the entire plant from March to April. Only when it fades do the leaves appear, but by that time more timid shrubs have usually begin to flower as well and your garden will remain bright and colorful.

Hardiness

This variety is rated as suitable for USDA plant hardiness zones 5 to 8, so while it’s not suitable for the areas with the very hardest winters or long, dry summers you can successfully grow it across most of the continental USA. As long as you’re not in northern New England, the Deep South or the coldest parts of the Midwest you shouldn’t find any climate-related problems. Just find a spot with medium-moist and well-drained soil.

Planting Location

For the best results, plant your forsythia somewhere that gets full sunlight. Show Off can tolerate partial shade but the flowers may be less prolific, and as its blooming habits are the main attraction that wouldn’t be good. If you do have a dry spell make sure to water it regularly; it doesn’t need a lot, but you’ll need to make sure the root zone doesn’t dry out.

Care and Maintenance

Like most forsythias, Show Off is a fairly low maintenance plant. It has no major pest or disease problems, although leaf spot and crown gall may occasionally trouble it – regular checks should catch these issues before they become too serious. It also tolerates urban conditions very well, so makes a good choice for brightening up a city garden. Whether or not to prune is up to you. It isn’t usually necessary except to remove dead branches but the plant can tolerate it very well. It can be extensively shaped, including as a hedge, or you can periodically cut it right back to the ground to encourage new growth.

History and Origins of the Show Off Forsythia

Forsythias are a family of flowering shrubs in the olive family, which are generally found in eastern Asia; most species grow wild in China, Korea and Japan. There is one exception, which is native to Serbia and Albania. They’re relatively small flowering shrubs that generally grow to a height of between three and ten feet, although they can occasionally reach as high as 20 feet, and are highly unusual in that they produce flowers in spring before they grow new foliage. This has made them prized among gardeners and many attractive new varieties have been created; Show Off, though, is one of our favorites.

Adding Show Off Forsythias to Your Property

Thanks to its size, Show Off makes a very versatile shrub. It’s ideal for foundation planting, or a group of them can be used to add color to a rockery or border. It does particularly well on south-facing slopes, so if your garden includes features like this consider massing these plants there. A row of them will also make for a truly spectacular hedge – its tolerance of pruning come sin very useful there. Of course the main reason for planting it is to take advantage of its early blooming but don’t overlook its other qualities – you can do a lot with this variety. The flowers are astonishingly bright and a whole bush of them makes for an unforgettable display that really will get your garden’s year off to the best possible start.

Not only is Forsythia tough and beautiful, it will grow 2 to 4 feet a year, so it quickly makes a hedge or fills in the background for your slower growing plants. It will grow in all types of soil, in city conditions and is free of pests and diseases. It is seldom badly damaged by deer, who may take a nibble or two, but Forsythia is so fast growing that the damage will not even be noticed. It will grow in heavy clay soils, and even live under Black Walnut trees, which kill so many other plants around them.

Growing Lynwood Gold Forsythia Shrubs

Forsythia grows into a rounded shrub with many branches, eventually reaching 6 to 9 feet tall and the same size across; so it is a great shrub for background planting where it will fill space and look terrific in bloom. The leaves are dark-green, smooth and about 3 inches long. The flowers are bright yellow with broad petals and are almost 2 inches long. They cover the bare branches in very early spring or late winter, as soon as the weather starts to become a little warmer and before almost anything else is blooming in your garden.

Although Forsythia grows to around 9 feet in height, it can easily be kept shorter by clipping, so it makes a beautiful hedge. Unlike many plants turned into a hedge, which produce few flowers because of the regular clipping, Forsythia actually flowers even more if it is clipped and your hedge will be a blaze of yellow every spring.

Hardiness

Forsythia grows easily in zones 5 to 8, so it can be grown right across America in all but the coldest and warmest areas. It needs some cold in winter to grow successfully. This is a very tough plant, which will grow in full sun or partial shade, in all kinds of soils and need no special care. It needs no water when established, except during extreme drought and will tolerate city conditions and urban pollution.

Planting

Forsythia is easy to grow and needs no special soil preparation. Just dig a hole or a trench twice the width of the pot. Place your plants in the hole or line them up in your trench, replace most of the soil and firm it well down. Then water thoroughly and replace the rest of the soil after the water drains away. For a hedge space the plants 5 feet apart, or as close as 3 feet if you plan on keeping your hedge short and narrow. Clip regularly as you would any hedge. Keep the top narrower than the bottom to be sure that leaves and flowers form right to the ground.

Pruning and Care

If not grown as a hedge, prune a little after flowering by removing any very old branches, and trimming back others to keep the plant neat. During summer cut the ends off any very tall new shoots to keep your Forsythia full and compact. If it does get overgrown and too large, you can easily cut it back as much as you want, even right to the ground. Finally, if you tire of waiting for spring, go out and cut some branches from your Forsythia. Put them in a vase of water indoors and in a few days they will burst into bloom and bring some spring to your winter.

History and Origins of the Lynwood Gold Forsythia

There are several kinds of Forsythia, but we are bringing you the best one for tough growth and a profusion of flowers. This is Forsythia x intermedia ‘Lynwood Gold’. This plant is a particular form of a plant that occurred naturally in a botanic garden in Germany when two species of Forsythia from different parts of China were growing near each other and produced a hybrid from natural seed.

This plant was sent to the famous Arnold Arboretum near Boston, Massachusetts in 1889. ‘Lynwood Gold’ was found in Ireland in 1935 when part of one of these plants changed into a better form, with larger, richer flowers and stronger, hardier growth. It rapidly became a favorite with gardeners all over the world and now you can grow this wonderful plant in your garden.

Buying Lynwood Gold Forsythia Shrubs at The Tree Center

This Forsythia is a special plant and only the exact plant will have the flowers and toughness you need. So it must be produced directly from plants absolutely known to be right. Our shrubs are grown the correct way, from branch cuttings of these special plants. That way every tree is identical to the original so they will produce a very uniform effect, which is especially important when planted in a row. However, these take longer to produce, so avoid cheaper trees that will only be a disappointment.

We sell only trees that are true to the original form and we have a wide range of sizes to give you the best plant for your purpose. We are constantly renewing our stock to ensure that our customers always receive fresh, healthy plants, so supplies of this tree may be limited. To avoid disappointment order now. Be sure to check out other varieties that we stock, like the Show Off Forsythia or the Golden Bells Forsythia.