Forsythias are one of various early blooming oleaceous shrubs of the genus Forsythia. They are perennial plants which are native to eastern Asia and southern Europe, but widely cultivated for their branches which have bright yellow bell-shaped flowers.  This is also one of the reasons why Forsythias is also called “Golden Bells” commonly.  The other common names for Forsythia are Forsythia Golden bells, Liangiao and Weeping Forsythia. The scientific name for Forsythias is Forsythia suspense. It belongs to the Oleaceae family which is the family of olives.

The yellow flowers of the Forsythias shrub make the landscape of the late winter or early spring very beautiful by adding color to it. The Forsythia plants can be planted in the home garden as they come in different sizes. There are shrubs that grow as high as 8-10ft. high and small ones which are called dwarf varieties which grow as high as a foot tall. If the plant is not pruned regularly they get out of shape and branches shoot out from everywhere, thus giving it a wild look.  But if they get enough space to grow they form a graceful appearance. The Forsythias are tolerant to city life as well as poor growing conditions.

Forsythias can survive in any type of soil which is well drained. For their growth they require full sun or very little shade. They can grow in any zone. As soon as the flowers fade, pruning is required to be done as flowers start forming on the previous year’s growth instead of new growth. In order to propagate Forsythias over winter all that is required is to make a small wound in the stem where it is as thick as a pencil and then fasten the wounded portion of the plant to a pot which has the desired soil. In spring when the pot is filed with roots the stem can be detached from the main plant. The cuttings of semi hard wood can be taken during mid or late summer and the cuttings of softwood cuttings of new growth can be taken during early summer or late spring.

Forsythias can be used as a hedge and to demarcate property boundaries in home gardens and also to control soil erosion. Apart from its decorative use it also has medicinal use. The fruits of Forsythias which can be grown in the home garden are mainly used for treatment of bacterial infections and upper respiratory tract infections by traditional Chinese medicine makers. They combine the honeysuckle flower with Forsythia to make the medicine. Apart from these Forsythias is also used as a cardiovascular tonic and for people who suffer from kidney problems.