It's such a delight to be living in a new (but altogether familiar) city. While I loved living in New York, the plant life there was getting a bit rote. Whereas now, every time I go for a run, I'm inspecting new palettes, making note of when to return to see a particular plant in flower or fall color. For example, on Monday, I decided I'd come back to Hains Point to see this Magnolia x soulangiana in full bloom -- as you can see it's just about to open.
But today, we'll talk about the plant to the right, Forsythia. Most likely, Fosythia x intermedia. I know that Forsythia is a very common plant when my spell check recognizes it as a valid word and of course, none of us needed that to testify to the plant's popularity. Almost unknown until the 18th Century, Forsythias became popular after western botanist Carl Peter Thunberg noted the plant growing in a Japanese garden. Its early spring flowers, fast growth and general bulletproof nature have aided in its surge in popularity since then.
But is it really worth it? Does adding this to a landscape for a cheap thrill in March validate its scraggly appearance the rest of the year? Probably not. To quote Dirr (for the second day in a row!), "Upright and arching canes will give it the appearance that the roots were stuckin an electric socket; always needs grooming, one of th emost overrated and over-used shrubs!"
Indeed.
But, a nostalgic part of me likes the plant, as I remember it growing everywhere when I was a kid. Its role as a bellwether for spring is almost more iconic or mythical than it is actual; I mean, there's plenty of other plants that herald spring, but it seems everyone knows this one. That said, I doubt I would ever put it in a design. Unless... my apartment here has a small balcony and I'm considering placing an espalier plant on the brick wall that faces the glass door that leads to the space. Websites indicate this plant espaliers well, but photos of it are lacking. I may have to consider using this. Any thoughts?
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