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If ever there was shrub that signified the start of the gardening season, it would have to be the well-known and much-loved forsythia. That splash of yellow in our early spring, cool, wet, landscapes always gives the promise of brighter days to come.

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Back in the early gardening days, most of the old varieties were huge, tall specimens that streaked up over three metres high. They created quite the display but left us with a large number of unsightly stems to deal with and took up a good portion of our garden real estate.

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The forsythia intermedia hybrids, like f. suspensa and f. viridissima were garden giants. F. suspensa was a semi-weeping form that grew not only three metres tall, but at least two to three metres wide as well. They were used as screens, but were also planted on banks and slopes as a naturalized ground cover because their branches root where they touch the ground. These old-timers were also trained in espaliered forms along fence lines. They put on an incredible show when they were in bloom but weren’t much to look at when the blooms were finished.

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Forsythias were also incredibly tolerant of many garden conditions and survived wet feet as well as quite dry soils. The very hardy strains like ‘Northern Gold’ would also withstand very cold temperatures, allowing them to grow in climates down to hardiness Zone 3.

My, how things have changed. Today, forsythias are still Mother Nature’s spring “starting gun”, but they are so much more versatile in the garden.

One of the older varieties, f. ‘Lynnwood Gold’ (Zone 5) is still incredibly versatile. Growing to about two metres, it is one of the strongest flowering varieties and one of the first to bloom. Following the new trend of cut flower gardening, it is one of the best varieties to be used as a source of cut stems. When picked in the bud stage, these will flower for weeks indoors. Instead of simply being planted as a shrub somewhere in the garden, many are now being grown on space saving trellises as a screen and for a more beautiful display.

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To create an even more versatile plant for the garden, forsythia are now being grafted onto single stems into a small tree form, which can be underplanted.

Proven Winners has also introduced several new varieties over the past few years. All are more compact and even showier than their predecessors.

South Korean plant breeder, Kyung Ku Shim, bred a new variety called f. ‘Flying Machine’. Hardy to Zone 6 and growing in the range of 1.5 to 2.5 metres tall, it has some of the largest flowers in the forsythia world. What’s also unique about this variety is that it is self-cleaning, making it a much tidier plant in the garden. As they finish, the deep yellow blooms don’t just fall apart, they spin to the ground creating a magical golden carpet just at the base of the tree. This dramatic variety may be a little harder to find, but some growers are beginning to appreciate the qualities of this plant and are giving it a try.

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One variety you will find more easily is f. ‘Show Off’. Hardy to Zone 5, and growing to only about 1.5 metres, it has a compact, round habit and very rich, deep green foliage, making it a most welcome garden addition. ‘Show Off’ debuted in France. Introduced by Minier Nurseries, it has won numerous awards because of its brilliant display of large flowers which grow very tightly together for an extremely vibrant display. It makes a great container plant as well, with its rich colours and well-behaved growth habit.

Also from the same French breeders is a much shorter variety called f. ‘Show Off Starlet’ which has been introduced by Prover Winners. Growing only 0.5 to 1.0 metres tall and wide, this is a “little” garden gem. Like its bigger cousin, it has very large flowers growing in tightly packed fashion on an even more compact plant.

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My favourite of this unique ‘Show Off’ family is f. ‘Show Off Sugar Baby’. We grew this miniature variety quite a few years ago and, knowing forsythia, I did not believe it would stay that tiny, only about 0.6-0.76 metres. It did! What a little beauty for small space gardens and containers.

They look attractive by themselves, but the true beauty of all forsythias is combining them with companion plants that accent the yellow colour in March and April and also add value over the rest of the growing season.

For later winter colour, I love using blue and yellow crocus, deep blue grape hyacinths, tiny ‘Tête à Tête’ mini-daffodils and even blue scillas as an underplanting.

You can also sequence your flowering times by planting early and mid-early varieties for a longer display. All these bulbs will naturalize around the base of your forsythia for an even more spectacular show each following year.

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Early blooming perennials with colourful foliage also make beautiful companions. Deep red and purple aubrietias would make a nice surround to the bright yellows.
Evergreen perennials like the blue and rich burgundy foliage of euphorbias would give you a good year-round display and the long-lasting chartreuse flowers offer an interesting contrast.

Even the rich foliage of sun-loving heucheras would be nice year-round, with an extra bonus when the foliage changes with the colder weather, and again as temperatures increase.

Old-fashioned Bergenia, also known as “pig squeak”, with its deep purple winter foliage is also an excellent sidekick and it’s especially attractive when the pink flowers open.

There are so many terrific companion choices that not only add to the value of your forsythia planting, but also help “kick up the pop” in your whole garden.

Forsythia is a powerhouse of colour and has probably the greatest impact of any of the small flowering shrubs. It really is worth finding a home for one in your garden!