showy forsythia

Forsythia ×intermedia Zabel

Showy forsythia is a deciduous shrub whose long, arching branches create a broad, fountain-like outline. In gardens it can reach about 8–10 feet tall and spread 10–12 feet across. Its yellow flowers appear before the leaves, so the bare framework itself becomes the spring display. The hybrid’s epithet refers to characteristics intermediate between those of its parents. NC State Extension: Forsythia ×intermedia

Wear showy forsythia: explore the botanical t-shirt

Botanical name

Kew accepts Forsythia ×intermedia Zabel as an artificial hybrid of F. suspensa and F. viridissima. Kew Plants of the World Online: Forsythia ×intermedia

Recognizing the plant

Look for opposite, simple leaves with pointed tips and teeth concentrated toward the upper half. Brown branches have four ridges and conspicuous lenticels. The flowers have four spreading corolla lobes and may stand alone or in small groups. Later, small brown capsules split open to release winged seeds. NC State Extension: Forsythia ×intermedia

Bloom window

North Carolina, United States

North Carolina Extension describes flowering in early spring on older wood. Pruning immediately after flowering preserves the following spring’s developing flower buds. NC State Extension: Forsythia ×intermedia

Native range

This is a human-created hybrid rather than a species with a wild native range. Its two parents are weeping forsythia, Forsythia suspensa, and greenstem forsythia, F. viridissima. Kew Plants of the World Online: Forsythia ×intermedia