Forsythia Linwood

Forsythia Linwood Gold is a tall, large-flowered shrub with drooping branches, an intermediate hybrid of Ponikshay Forsythia and Dark Green Forsythia. A distinctive feature of this variety is resistance to diseases and unattractiveness to pests.

Description of Forsythia Linwood

The height of an adult plant reaches 2,5-3 m, the diameter is 3 m. The crown of the Linwood Gold forsythia is sprawling and dense, as can be seen in the photo below.

The color of the variety is bright yellow, however, with the onset of autumn, the leaf plate darkens and acquires a rich purple hue. The shape of the leaves is slightly elongated, slightly serrated.

The flowers of the variety are large – they grow in width from 3 to 3,5 cm. Flowering is plentiful. It falls at the end of May.

Planting and caring for Linwood Forsythia

Planting Linwood Gold forsythia, as well as the subsequent care of the shrub, includes the most basic procedures that even a novice gardener can do. Planted plants both in spring and autumn. The most important thing when landing before winter is to be in time before the ground freezes. If you are late with planting, the seedlings will not be able to take root and, most likely, will die.

Planting site and seedling preparation

The quality and composition of the soil for growing Forsythia Linwood Gold do not really matter. The main soil requirements for optimal shrub development:

• moderate humidity;
• low or medium acidity;
• good breathability.

The level of groundwater occurrence is unimportant, however, the variety does not like stagnant water.

Planting Forsythia Linwood

For landing Linwood Gold choose sunny places with good protection from strong winds. The variety develops well in partial shade, however, the lack of light affects the abundance of flowering.

Landing rules:

• the depth of the landing pit should be at least 50 cm;
• recommended pit width – 50-60 cm;
• in group plantings, it is important to maintain an interval between adjacent bushes of 1-1,5 m.

Boarding procedure:

1. A drainage layer of clay shards or broken bricks is placed in the landing pit. Layer thickness – 15-20 cm.
2. A layer of sand up to 10 cm thick is poured over the drainage.
3. Then the pit is covered with a mixture of their peat, sand and leafy earth. The proportions of the mixture: 1:1:2.
4. Taking into account drainage, sand and soil mixture, the depth of the planting pit is reduced to 30-35 cm. The seedling is lowered into the hole and sprinkled with earth.
5. The trunk circle is slightly pressed down for greater soil density under the bush.
6. Planting is completed with abundant watering of the forsythia.

Watering and top dressing

Forsythia Linwood Gold does not need abundant watering. Bushes are watered once every 1-2 weeks. Water consumption per plant is 3-1 buckets.

If the weather is rainy, watering is completely stopped, since with an excess of moisture, rotting of the forsythia roots is possible. If the summer turned out to be hot, the volume of water for each bush can be slightly increased, but it is not recommended to flood the plantings.

The procedure is combined with loosening the trunk area and weeding. For better moisture retention, you can sprinkle the soil with mulch.

Forsythia is fed 3 times a year:

1. In early spring, the soil is fertilized with compost, which also serves as a mulch layer.
2. In mid-April, mineral supplements are introduced.
3. With the end of flowering, the soil is fertilized with the preparation “Kemir Universal”.

Trimming

Young plantings are pruned for sanitary purposes – only damaged shoots are removed from plants, without touching healthy ones. Forsythia varieties Linwood Gold, aged 4 years and older, 1 time in 3-4 years after such a procedure, they are cut again, already in the summer. All shoots after flowering are cut in half. Old branches are completely cut off almost to the very base – they usually leave 5-8 cm above the soil level. This is done to rejuvenate the bush, since the result of such intensive pruning is active shoot formation.

If the forsythia grows too much to the sides and takes on an untidy appearance, it is necessary to form a crown. To do this, shorten all outstanding shoots.

Preparation for winter

Forsythia Linwood Gold is a rather frost-resistant culture, however, young seedlings are somewhat weaker. They are not able to overwinter without warming, especially in regions with cold winters.

Preparation for wintering involves sheltering the shrub with a thick layer of dry leaves. Before this, the shoots of the plant must be bent to the ground and fixed. Spruce branches are placed on top of the leaves.

With the onset of heat, the shelter is removed, as the forsythia can swell.

Diseases and pests

Forsythia variety Linwood Gold resistance to diseases is average. The plant rarely gets sick, however, it is impossible to completely reduce the risk of planting disease. The greatest threat to the development of shrubs are:

• fusarium wilt;
• bacteriosis;
• monilioz;
• downy mildew.

The first signs of Fusarium wilt are rapid yellowing of the leaves, blackening of the shoots and weak flowering. Sometimes forsythia stops blooming altogether. At the initial stages of the development of the fungus, forsythia is treated with a weak solution of Fundazol. If the disease is started, the plant may die. Then it is dug up by the roots and burned, and the hole is doused with boiling water with potassium permanganate.

Bacteriosis is determined by the softening of the leaf plate and the appearance of black stains. There are still no methods for treating plants affected by bacteriosis. At the first sign of this disease, the shrub is dug up entirely and destroyed away from the garden plot. The place where forsythia grew must be treated with fungicides or a solution of potassium permanganate.

Moniliosis appears as small brownish spots on the leaves. When forsythia is infected with moniliosis, it is necessary to cut off all darkened areas.

Powdery mildew deforms the leaves. Also, the leaf plate is covered with gray spots on top. The affected areas are cut off, after which the forsythia is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.

Of the pests of the variety, only the nematode is isolated. This pest affects plantings in dry hot summers with insufficient watering. It multiplies rapidly in dry soil and gnaws at the roots of forsythia.

In the fight against this worm, chemicals are used. The insecticides “Phosfamide” and “Nemafos” have proven themselves well.

If Forsythia Linwood Gold stops blooming, this may be due to the following reasons:

• too frequent intensive pruning of the bush for the purpose of rejuvenation;
• critical soil poverty;
• frosting of flower buds in cold winters with little snow;
• damage to the root system by the nematode.

Reproduction

It is preferable to propagate forsythia by vegetative methods, namely: cuttings and diversion of shoots. The planting material obtained in this way has a 100% survival rate.

Cuttings are made according to the following algorithm:

1. In the first decade of June, a young branch is cut from the forsythia and divided into segments 15 cm long.
2. The lower 2 leaves on the resulting cuttings are removed, after which the lower ends of the segments are lowered into the growth stimulator for several hours.
3. The planting material is then moved to a greenhouse where it is grown in containers. From time to time the substrate must be moistened.
4. As soon as the cuttings form an extensive root system, they are transplanted into open ground.

The time for harvesting stiff cuttings is shifted to autumn. Immediately after cutting, they are buried in the garden plot, bypassing the greenhouse stage. Before winter, such plantings must be insulated with dry grass, leaves and spruce branches.

Additionally, the propagation process with green cuttings is described in the video below:

Reproduction of forsythia by layering occurs according to the following scheme:

1. In August or early September, a young branch from the bottom of the shrub is bent to the ground.
2. The end of the shoot is slightly incised.
3. The resulting incision is carefully added dropwise and the edge of the branch is fixed in the soil so that it does not unbend. To do this, use metal staples or a small piece of brick.
4. By spring, the layering will form a full-fledged root system. The shoot is finally separated from the parent bush, dug out with the preservation of an earthen clod and transplanted into a previously prepared hole.

Conclusion

Forsythia Lynwood Gold is one of the first varieties to bloom. Flowering begins in March, before the leaves bloom. That is why the variety is planted in combination with horticultural crops that bloom later – this way you can increase the decorativeness of plantings by stretching the general flowering of the group until autumn.