No Flowers on Forsythia

I cut my forsythia back almost to ground level about four years ago. It has grown back to a good height but has failed to bloom. Maybe one or two blossoms and that's it! It used to bloom really great each spring before we cut it back. I pruned it in fall was that the problem? Any suggestions as to how I could get it to bloom again?

Fall pruning will eliminate the forsythia flowers for the following spring but not the next four years. Older varieties of forsythia are plant hardy but not flower bud hardy. This means the flower buds may be killed by cold weather but the plant survives. Check on the fertilization program. Too much nitrogen can give you a big healthy plant with no flowers. Next check on the amount of light the plants receive. Has a tree grown larger or new structure been built that might be shading the forsythia. Too much shade can also prevent flowering. You may need to move the plant to a sunnier location. And in the future, prune spring flowering shrubs right after bloom (or when they should have bloomed) to control the size and keep the spring floral display.

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