Proper pruning should help produce new forsythia shoots
QHow can I reshape a forsythia that has developed into a tall, rangy shrub with all the flowers at the top?
A: Begin as soon as flowering has finished. First, remove all dead or damaged wood. Then cut away at ground level up to half the stems. Choose the oldest (thickest) ones to remove. The remaining stems can be cut back by up to a half, provided there is as growth bud or healthy shoot to make the cut directly above. The shoot should be facing outward from the shrub’s centre.
This initial pruning should prompt new shoots growing from below cut stems. Thin that new growth out as it develops and enough to prevent congestion.
In the following year, remove half the remaining old stems at ground level and shorten other stems as
needed to attain the shape and compactness desired.
The next year, cut down to ground level the last of the old stems.
After that, follow a routine of thinning crowded growth at the shrub’s centre and shortening older stems to vigorous side shoots. Cutting away one or two of the oldest stems at ground level each year is a useful way to maintain youth and vigour in shrubs like forsythia that produce multiple shoots from ground level.
QAre orchid cactus (Epiphyllum) plants difficult to care for? A: They can be quite easy in congenial conditions. These plants are native to the jungles of Central and
South America. They do not tolerate temperatures below 5 C.
During the plants’ winter rest period in a cool room with good natural light, ideal temperatures are 10 to 15 C. Common winter locations are at a basement window or in a sun porch or spare bedroom.
A dryish soil and long (dark) nights during the rest period bring on flower buds, which signal it’s time to bring the plants into slightly warmer temperatures and resume watering. Flowering is in May and June.
A summer outdoors in diffuse light benefits the plants, which need to be brought back indoors in the fall with decreased watering before the weather cools.