Many forsythia flowers are peaking here now with bright yellow blooms that probably will last about two or three weeks. The bushes are in various shapes. The ones that have been allowed to grow without restraint often form waves of bright yellow that seem to be arriving like surf.
Those that are pruned often look like yellow explosions erupting unexpectedly. Some larger plants along the sides of structures often become huge yellow barriers.
As you probably know, the buds for the plant’s tiny four-petaled yellow flowers are on last year’s branches; they bloom before the leaf buds on the new wood. When the flowers fall and the bush becomes fully leafed-out, forsythia becomes a dense green bush.
The plant is native to China, but has been a favorite in the United States for many years. It was named after the Scottish horticulturist William Forsyth (1737-1804). (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 4, 2024.)