Free Gardener

Jeanne at Backyard Neighbor took this picture of forsythias that are now in bloom all over the mountainside where she lives. The blooms are so bright and cheerful in her cobalt blue container.

My mom always loved to see the forsythias bloom. I married at an early age (17) and never paid much attention to outdoor things. In Florida, we can't grow forsythias. Although each spring my mom would write about the crocuses and forsythias blooming at her home in Maryland, all I could remember was some purple and some yellow. 





Once, when I was visiting her, I noticed a bush that was nothing more than ugly sticks. It had sprawled over Mama's walkway and brushed against my legs.  It looked even worse than this one below. There was no yellow at all  on Mama's ugly bush. See how it spawls all over the place?


As a favor, for a surprise, I trimmed her bush back--waaay back. I cut off every single stick until it was about 12" high. It took a chunk of time; I worked hard on that ugly thing. Later, she told me that her ugly bush of sticks was her prized forsythia bush! It had been full of buds, and she was looking forward to a particularly beautiful spring. 

Mama's forsythias did not bloom at all that year and not so nicely the following year, either. In fact, she moved before she ever saw it come back to its former glory. She was a little miffed at me!

I work for free. Would you like for me to come do some pruning at your place?