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Forsythia Linwood Gold is a tall, large-flowered shrub with drooping branches, an intermediate hybrid of the Drooping Forsythia and Dark Green Forsythia varieties. A distinctive feature of this variety is its resistance to disease 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 forsythia variety Linwood Gold is spreading 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 blade darkens and acquires a rich purple hue. The shape of the leaves is slightly elongated, slightly jagged.
The flowers of the variety are large - they grow from 3 to 3.5 cm in width. Flowering is abundant. It falls at the end of May.
Planting and caring for Forsythia Lynnwood
Planting forsythia varieties Linwood Gold, as well as subsequent care of the shrub, include the most basic procedures that even a novice gardener can do. Plants are planted both in spring and autumn. The most important thing when planting before winter is to do it before the soil freezes. If you are late with planting, the seedlings will not be able to take root and will most likely die.
Preparation of planting site and seedlings
The quality and composition of the soil for growing Linwood Gold forsythia is not particularly important. The main soil requirements for optimal development of shrubs:
- moderate humidity;
- low or medium acidity;
- good breathability.
The level of groundwater is unimportant, however, the variety does not like stagnant water.
Planting Forsythia Lynnwood
To plant Linwood Gold forsythia, 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 planting pit must be at least 50 cm;
- recommended pit width – 50-60 cm;
- When planting in groups, it is important to maintain an interval of 1-1.5 m between neighboring bushes.
Boarding procedure:
- A drainage layer of clay shards or broken bricks is placed in the planting hole. Layer thickness – 15-20 cm.
- A layer of sand up to 10 cm thick is poured over the drainage.
- Then the hole is filled with a mixture of peat, sand and leaf soil. Mixture proportions: 1:1:2.
- Taking into account drainage, sand and soil mixture, the depth of the planting hole is reduced to 30-35 cm. The seedling is lowered into the hole and covered with earth.
- The trunk circle is slightly pressed down to make the soil more dense under the bush.
- The planting is completed by abundant watering of the forsythia.
Watering and fertilizing
Forsythia Linwood Gold does not need abundant watering. The bushes are watered once every 2-3 weeks. Water consumption per plant is 1-1.5 buckets.
If the weather is rainy, stop watering altogether, since excess moisture may cause the forsythia roots to rot. If the summer is hot, the volume of water for each bush can be increased slightly, but it is not recommended to flood the plantings.
The procedure is combined with loosening the tree trunk area and weeding. To better retain moisture, you can sprinkle the soil with mulch.
Feed forsythia 3 times a year:
- At the beginning of spring, the soil is fertilized with compost, which also serves as a mulch layer.
- In mid-April, mineral supplements are applied.
- At the end of flowering, the soil is fertilized with Kemir Universal.
Trimming
Young plantings are pruned for sanitary purposes - only damaged shoots are removed from plants, without touching healthy ones. Forsythia of the Linwood Gold variety, aged 4 years and older, are pruned again once every 3-4 years after this procedure, already in the summer. All shoots after flowering are cut in half. Old branches are cut off almost to the very base - usually leaving 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 forsythia grows too much to the sides and takes on an unkempt appearance, it is necessary to form the crown. To do this, shorten all outstanding shoots.
Preparing for winter
Forsythia Linwood Gold is a fairly frost-resistant crop, however, young seedlings are somewhat weaker. They are not able to survive the winter without insulation, especially in regions with cold winters.
Preparing for wintering involves covering the bush with a thick layer of dry leaves. Before this, the shoots of the plant must be bent to the ground and fixed.Fir branches are placed on top of the leaves.
With the onset of warmth, the shelter is removed, since forsythia can resist.
Diseases and pests
The disease resistance of forsythia variety Linwood Gold is average. The plant rarely gets sick, however, it is impossible to completely reduce the risk of disease in plantings. The greatest threat to the development of shrubs is posed by:
- fusarium wilt;
- bacteriosis;
- moniliosis;
- downy mildew.
The first signs of Fusarium wilt are rapid yellowing of leaves, blackening of shoots and weak flowering. Sometimes forsythia stops blooming altogether. At the initial stages of fungal development, forsythia is treated with a weak solution of Fundazol. If the disease is neglected, the plant may die. Then it is dug up by the roots and burned, and the hole is doused with boiling water and potassium permanganate.
Bacteriosis is determined by the softening of the leaf blade and the appearance of black stains. There are still no methods for treating plants affected by bacteriosis. At the first signs of this disease, the bush 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 mixture.
Among the pests of the variety, only the nematode is isolated. This pest attacks plantings in dry, hot summers with insufficient watering. It multiplies quickly in dry soil and gnaws at the roots of forsythia.
To combat this worm, chemicals are used. The insecticides “Phosfamide” and “Nemafos” have proven themselves well.
If Forsythia Linwood Gold stops blooming, it may be due to the following reasons:
- too frequent intensive pruning of the bush for the purpose of rejuvenation;
- critical soil poverty;
- freezing of flower buds in cold winters with little snow;
- damage to the root system by a nematode.
Reproduction
It is preferable to propagate forsythia by vegetative methods, namely by cuttings and shoots. The planting material thus obtained has a 100% survival rate.
Cuttings are carried out according to the following algorithm:
- In the first ten days of June, a young branch is cut from the forsythia and divided into segments 15 cm long.
- The bottom 2 leaves on the resulting cuttings are removed, after which the lower ends of the segments are dipped in a growth stimulator for several hours.
- The planting material is then moved to a greenhouse, where it is grown in containers. From time to time the substrate must be moistened.
- As soon as the cuttings form a branched root system, they are transplanted into open ground.
The time for harvesting woody 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 process of propagation by green cuttings is described in the video below:
Reproduction of forsythia by layering occurs according to the following scheme:
- In August or early September, a young branch from the lower part of the bush is bent to the ground.
- The end of the shoot is slightly cut.
- The resulting cut is carefully dug in and the edge of the branch is fixed in the soil so that it does not bend. To do this, use metal staples or a small piece of brick.
- By spring, the layering will form a full-fledged root system. The shoot is finally separated from the parent bush, dug out while preserving the earthen clod, and transplanted into a previously prepared hole.
Conclusion
Forsythia Linwood Gold is among the varieties that bloom first. Flowering begins as early as March, before the leaves bloom. That is why the variety is planted in combination with garden crops that bloom later - this way you can increase the decorative value of the plantings, extending the overall flowering of the group until autumn.
