Appearance
The shrub has an upright habit with arching branches and grows to 3 to 4 metres high. The opposite leaves turn yellowish or occasionally purplish in the autumn before falling. The usually pale-yellow flowers are produced on one- to two-year-old growth and may be solitary or in racemes from 2 to 6.
History and timeline
The hybrid is thought to be a cross between Forsythia viridissima and F. suspensa var. fortunei. A plant of seedling origin was discovered growing in the Göttingen Botanic Gardens in Germany by the director of the municipal gardens in Münden, H. Zabel in 1878. Zabel formally described and named the hybrid in Gartenflora in 1885. It was introduced to the Arnold Arboretum in the United States in 1889.
Uses
The hybrid is best suited to a position with full sun or partial shade and is drought-tolerant. Like some other forsythias, it is one of the earliest or even the earliest shrub to bloom in humid continental climate, well adapted to temperature changes, blooms with bright yellow flowers, that are noticeable even in twilight. This makes forsythias widely cultivated in gardens, parks and various green parts of European towns, with Forsythia x intermedia hybrid being the most popular among forsythias.Cultivars include:
'Arnold Dwarf' - low-growing with pale yellow flowers
'Beatrix Farrand' - a particularly floriferous cultivar
'Gold Tide' ('Courtasol') - floriferous, with deep yellow autumn colour
'Lynwood' - large flowers with broad petals
'Karl Sax' - deep yellow flowers with orange lines in the thoat. Introduced by the Arnold Arboretum in 1960.
'Spectabilis'
'Spring Glory' - purple-tinged foliage in autumn
'Variegata' - leaves with contrasting cream edges
References:
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