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Key characteristics

Family: Oleaceae
Height: 6 to 10 feet
Width: 5 to 10 feet
Flower color: Vibrant yellow
Foliage color: Bright green
Bloom time: Early spring
Light: Prefers full sun to partial shade
Water: Somewhat drought-tolerant once established
Maintenance: Low
Growing zone: Hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8
Wildlife: The flowers attract bees and other pollinators

Shrubs

Forsythia x intermedia

Border Forsythia

Forsythia x intermedia, commonly known as Border Forsythia, is a deciduous shrub that belongs to the Oleaceae family and can grow up to 6 to 10 feet tall with a similar spread, depending on growing conditions. The main attraction of Border Forsythia is its vibrant yellow flowers, which appear in profusion along the bare stems in early spring, often before the leaves emerge. The bright green leaves are ovate to lanceolate and arranged oppositely along the stem.

Light

Prefers full sun to partial shade

Water

Somewhat drought-tolerant once established

Bloom time

Early spring

Find this plant

Works well in

Sun Gardens
Hedging & Privacy
Pollinator Gardens
Specimen Plants

Companion plants

Russian sage · Blue fescues · Coreopsis · Yarrow · Daylilies · Creeping phlox

Design tip

Forsythia creates its strongest effect when its yellow flowers can be seen as a broad sweep rather than isolated among other spring blooms. Use a single large specimen or repeat several shrubs along a boundary, with darker evergreens nearby providing contrast for the flower-covered bare branches.

Printable plant sheet (PDF)