Getting it to bloom

Why won't my weeping forsythia bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called weeping forsythia, golden bells, lian qiao (Forsythia suspensa).

More about weeping forsythia

About weeping forsythia

Forsythia suspensa · also called weeping forsythia, golden bells · flowering

One of the earliest-flowering deciduous shrubs, weeping forsythia produces bright-yellow, bell-shaped flowers along arching, pendulous stems in late winter to early spring before the leaves emerge. Vigorous and adaptable, it is well-suited to walls, banks, and informal hedges. A classic signal of spring in temperate gardens.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to flower: The most common cause is pruning in autumn or winter, removing the flowering wood formed on the previous season's growth. Prune only right after flowering finishes in spring.

The reasons weeping forsythia isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming weeping forsythia traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding weeping forsythia a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get weeping forsythia to flower

Maximise sun. Give weeping forsythia the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for weeping forsythia and get the feeding right with the weeping forsythia fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

weeping forsythia flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full weeping forsythia care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

weeping forsythia blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my weeping forsythia flower?

weeping forsythia blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make weeping forsythia bloom?

Give weeping forsythia the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does weeping forsythia normally bloom?