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Ushering in Spring

April 6th, 2009

I don’t know what is considered the first sign of spring where you are, but here in Ohio it’s the sunny yellow blossoms of the forsythia bushes.
forsythia-with-bird-house
They are such lovely bushes with their cascades of yellow blossoms so early in the year. I love their weeping nature, I’ve always thought about getting a start and training it as a standard.
forsythia-bloom
I got my forsythia from my mom, she has a huge hedge of them (50 feet long by 6-10 feet wide). They spread easily, so there’s really no point in buying plants if you know someone that already has one. I’m hoping to get a few more this summer to plant around our property, you just can’t beat this lovely plant when you need a tough hedge.

What’s the first sign of spring in your area?

14 Comments to “Ushering in Spring”
  1. ChristyACB on April 6, 2009 at 5:54 am

    Here there are many that happen all at once. The daffodils, the return of the geese and ducks and, of course, the storms!

    ChristyACB’s last blog post.. State of the Garden – 2 April 2009

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  2. Julia on April 6, 2009 at 6:51 am

    Definitely the crocuses! They bloom even if there’s still snow on the ground. But really, I feel spring is here when the daffodils open… which hopefully will be just in time for my parents passover visit. :-)

    Julia’s last blog post.. Inspiration from the Blogosphere: Alosha’s Kitchen

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  3. Mangochild on April 6, 2009 at 7:27 am

    Here its generally the robins I think… the sound of them coming back and nesting usually happens before the first real plants start to appear, but it is always a hopeful sign that warmer and sunnier days are on the way :-) I started to hear then about 2 weeks ago, and their chorus is getting louder and louder each day – in fact, right now they seem to be having a little robin-party on my patio!

    Mangochild’s last blog post.. Food Storage: Early April Status Update

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  4. Cherry on April 6, 2009 at 7:27 am

    for me it’s the Bradford pears, Azaleas and the Star Magnolia’s
    your forsythia is beautiful. Pass along plants especially from mom’s are the best.

    hugs, Cherry

    Cherry’s last blog post.. A walk through town

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    • Susy on April 6, 2009 at 9:29 am

      Oh yes, the star magnolias are lovely right now.

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  5. kristin on April 6, 2009 at 7:48 am

    “Tough” being the operative word to describe forsythia. I love it, but the hedge we have that was originally planted 30 years ago to shield the barns is a verging on being an out of control jungle. It’s supposed to be drastically pruned every year, but it’s been a few years since that’s happened. It is a nice cheery yellow, though.

    The first sign of spring here is traditionally snow drops. Except they come so early (late February, sometimes) that I know it’s not really spring yet when they appear. Crocuses are more like it, but when the daffodils bloom and the grass gets green, THEN it looks like spring to me.

    kristin’s last blog post.. A Bloody Story Laced with Profanity

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  6. Mike on April 6, 2009 at 11:08 am

    I have been trying to think of a nice bush to use as a sort of hedge at one end of our property. I put some lilacs in as they also seem to spread, perhaps forsythia would be a good addition as well. They sure are pretty.

    As always, nice pictures,

    Mike

    Mike’s last blog post.. What’s Growing On?

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    • Susy on April 6, 2009 at 12:38 pm

      They do make a great hedge, and you can prune them to keep them in check or let them go wild.

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  7. Kelly on April 6, 2009 at 1:33 pm

    You lucky devil – Forsythia is usually the first sign of spring here too – but they all seem to be late this year. No blooms at all. However, the perennial violets and bulbs are all coming up already (some of my hyacinth is even getting ready to bloom). I think the Forsythia is confused this year.

    Kelly’s last blog post.. Violets, Lily of the Valley, and Blackcurrants – Oh My!

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  8. Freija Fritillary on April 6, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    Robins. The return of the robins are my first sign of spring, so that makes today the first day of spring, 5 robin sightings since morning. Snow’s still on the ground, but getting thin. And pussywillows are starting to bloom. Those are my first signs!

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  9. Erin on April 6, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    New Jersey is pretty lush, but I start to see little yellow dots throughout the yard and the crocuses also bloom….

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  10. warren on April 7, 2009 at 2:03 pm

    I always look for maple blooms. When I see them, I know that the bees will be on them very soon and that makes me so excited! I also love to see rhubarb start to pop up (It looks so weird) and daffodils too. Forsythia is such a delight as it paints an incredibly vivid and bright picture too…I love spring!

    warren’s last blog post.. Mortgage on the castle

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  11. Kylee from Our Little Acre on April 8, 2009 at 11:51 pm

    Forsythia are easy to start from cuttings, too. I had cut some for forcing last year and planted them out after they rooted. This spring, we have a few blooms on those cuttings and a new shrub! I’ll be doing the same thing with some pussy willow cutting I took this year.

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    • Susy on April 9, 2009 at 7:03 am

      Yes, it seems that forsythias are like willows, they sprout very easily (which is always good for those of us who are patient gardeners because it saves money).

      Reply to Susy's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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