THE 



Canadian Horticulturist 



Vol XVI. 



1893 



No. 4. 



FORSYTHIA, OR GOLDEN BELL. 



i TJ < »W wisely planned are the works of nature ! Fruits 

 J. J. in succession from June : flowers in succession from 

 "May ! Among the first blossoms in the spring is the 

 Forsythia, a shrub which opens its solitary golden 

 m* \/t fl° vvers > U1 tms latitude, in the month of May. 

 J |^ It is a native of Northern China, from whence it 

 was brought to England in the year 1845, receiving 

 its English name in honor of a former gardener of 

 the king at Kensington, by name Wm. Forsyth, who 

 died in 1804. Botanically it belongs to the Olive 

 family (Oleacre), of which the only native represen- 

 tative in Canada is the ash. It is a dwarf, hardy 

 shrub, of dense spreading habit, which needs a little 

 cutting back in the spring to keep it in good shape : 

 some gardeners advise cutting back the last year's 

 growth to within a few joints of its base. Its yellow drooping flowers appear, in 

 advance of the foliage, on its willowy stems, which may be used in vases. 



Gardeners make three varieties, viz., Fortunei, Suspensa and Viridissima, 

 but these distinctions are not very marked. The first, perhaps, is the best 

 variety, but the last-named is very attractive on account of its bright green foliage 

 all through the summer, which hangs most persistently in autumn. 



The Forsythia should not be dotted about everywhere in the yard, as they 

 show to best advantage as single specimens in some distant corner, or grouped 

 together on the green lawn. They also work in well with other shrubs, serving 

 to enliven the effect of the whole. 



