What do i do with this forsythia?

[GardenKit]

Most of you will know I am a mechanic, so i admit to being useless with anything that has leaves.

 

I have several forsythia around my garden that have grown crazy and are falling out all over the place.

 

What should i do with them, and when should i do it?

 

[kentjames]

They flower next year on this years wood, so cutting now will remove next years flowers for the most part. However if its flopping over too much then it needs cutting back by around half, and as with most shrubs, remove the thicker older wood in favour of the younger wood. This process can take several seasons.

 

If it was me, I would cut it harder now, then some regrowth still may occur giving flower for next year, then next year after flowering start to shape the shrub as the growth comes.

[swinny]

Knock em back into a smaller frame work and manage from there

[GardenKit]

Thanks, thats pretty much what I thought, loppers at dawn!

[nepia]

Following on from James correct advice you could just nip off endweight now to relieve the flopping, then hit them as hard as you like after flowering late next spring. The biggest risk though if you do that is snow damage if there's a big fall.

[swinny]

Following on from James correct advice you could just nip off endweight now to relieve the flopping, then hit them as hard as you like after flowering late next spring. The biggest risk though if you do that is snow damage if there's a big fall.

 

he says he'd cut them back hard now in his second bit of his post

[GardenKit]

he says he'd cut them back hard now in his second bit of his post

Hahaha, I said I was going to it this morning, but I have not gotten round to it yet:biggrin:

[spudulike]

Hahaha, I said I was going to it this morning, but I have not gotten round to it yet:biggrin:

 

Sounds like you need to try a customers trimmer or long reach out ...to make sure it is working fine after a service of course:blushing:

 

Stuff the loppers:lol:

[Eddy_t]

Test a brushcutter or clearing saw out in there, you could loose the cypress too by testing a saw, test a mower on your lawn, make it all smell lovely with aspen fumes, you know you want to!

 

 

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[GardenKit]

Test a brushcutter or clearing saw out in there, you could loose the cypress too by testing a saw, test a mower on your lawn, make it all smell lovely with aspen fumes, you know you want to!

 

 

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Funny you should say that, I decided yesterday that the cypress will be down this autumn.