How to look after Forsythia

Ah, spring. The days lengthen and the weather starts warming up. Keep an eye out for new growth on your Forsythia - it's a sign of better things to come.

And flowers; at this time of the year a few warm days in a row and suddenly your Forsythia will come into bloom. Beautiful.

Your Forsythia should be romping away in the summer heat. So, sit back and relax and enjoy your outdoor space.

Watering is the only thing you really need to worry about, particularly for plants in pots.

You'll soon know if your Forsythiais thirsty as it will start to wilt, so get your watering can out.

As the weather starts cooling down in autumn, your Forsythia will start slowing down too.

This is a deciduous plant, meaning it will lose its leaves over winter.

So don't worry when the leaves start to fall off, this is perfectly normal.

Nothing to see here folks. Your Forsythia is dormant over winter.

In mild winters it might not completely lose its leaves, but otherwise a completely bare skeleton is totally normal.

Forsythia planted out in a border doesn't need any special attention when it comes to watering once it is established.

But if you've got a new one, make sure you keep it well-watered during the first spring and summer. It's plants in pots that need a bit more TLC.

Keep a careful eye on watering, especially over spring and summer. If it's really hot you'll need to water once a day.

You don't really need to feed your Forsythia, but it won't hurt to sprinkle a general purpose food, like Growmore, around the base in spring, but it's not essential.

Plants in pots need feeding with a slow release feed, twice a year: once in spring and once in mid summer.

Forsythia needs little pruning, but if you want to reduce the size, or take out a few shoots growing at funny angles, the best time to do this is when the plant is dormant - ie: when it has no leaves between winter and spring.

Don't get too carried away though, as you'll ruin the natural shape.

Forsythia is a hardy plant, so won't require winter protection once established.

Just take care with young plants, as they can be more susceptible to winter cold. It won't hurt to cover with horticultural fleece if there is a heavy frost forecast.

Shrubs in pots should be OK, but if you live in a particularly cold area, or your garden is exposed, move pots to the corner of a porch, under the eaves of the house or even hard up against a protected wall of the house.

If you can't move your pot, wrap a few layers hessian or coir matting around the pot to provide some insulation.