Wednesday, March 21, 2012

SPRING'S BRIGHTEST YELLOW


Is there any yellow more intense than the bright, explosive yellow of a forsythia in bloom? A passionate yellow so brilliant it almost hurts the eye to stare into a mass of it's deeply four-lobed flowers. Not so orange as a dandelion and more yellow than a buttercup, it towers on slender stems up to a dozen feet long, each festooned with countless dazzling blooms—a luminous yellow spray, like a mix of fire and lightning.

One of the first things I did when I moved in here to this stone cottage beside the river was plant a couple of forsythias. My only regret is that I didn't put out a dozen. In the few years they've had, that pair of forsythia bushes have grown substantially, and now dominate the edge of the drive just below the road. In summer and autumn, they're just another large clump of green. In winter they become a massed scribble of tall, gently curving lines. But in early spring…oh, my! The forsythia pair overnight transform into a vivid vernal fountain—extraordinary, powerful, a potent seasonal cadmium yellow announcement that lights up a dark corner in the garden and simply dominates the landscape.   

My old friend Frank used to say that spring wouldn't arrive until you'd seen snow on the forsythia's blooms. Here in Ohio, more years than not his dictum proves true. Typically, the forsythia begans blooming somewhere between the crocus and the daffodils. And in a normal year, you can expect at least a blustery snow or two—winter's last hurrah—to arrive during that period.

But not this year! Not when we've had no real winter, only an extend autumn. Not when most of March and a good deal of February sported temperatures in the seriously unseasonable 60s to mid-70s˚ range. Not when we've set record highs for days running, and may wind up experiencing the warmest winter on record. Not when we've already had days—before the equinox and thus still officially winter—topping 80˚F!


Nope, this year the daffodils beat the forsythia in the bloom race. Snow is not in the forecast, though sunburn this afternoon is quite possible. But it doesn't matter, not in regards to the great, uplifting delight—the sheer seasonal joy!—I receive every time I look up the hill and see that sensational yellow. 

Forsythia yellow. The brightest yellow in all of spring!
———————       

17 comments:

AfromTO said...

Oh forsythia is my facorite bush-it is a wall of sunshine-my lovliest memories of childhood are forsythia in vases in springtime.

Grizz………… said...

AfromTO…

Hey, I love that line…"wall of sunshine." May even steal it for a future column.

Were those forsythia springs you remember from childhood "forced" cuttings, or just cuttings already in bloom brought indoors?

Gail said...

Hi Grizz - we are bordered by forsythia here. SO lovely. ANd yet to bloom. This year I was remiss - usually I bring in cuts from the forsythia bushes in early February and put them in warm water and within three days our dining room table is all aglow with the yellow of Spring. This year our blooms are very late. I so love your pictures which capture the brightness so beautifully. You bring such promise and hope, always.
Well, today is my physical - stem to stern so to speak. Good Lord! Say a prayer around 2:00!! :-).
I am glad it is all in one day - kinda like one stop shopping. :-)
Enjoy your day
Love to you
Gail
peace......

Grizz………… said...

Gail…

I never remember to bring forsythia cuttings in and force them—though I meaning to do so. Of course this year there's been no need for pre-season blooms, as we've had flowers of one thing or another going since January. I don't think our forsythia are late—just that everything else is way early.

I certainly will be supporting you this afternoon in both prayer and friendship. Don't be afraid—you're tougher than what ails you. Your life is filled with beauty and promise. Things will be okay and work out…I believe that with all my heart.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Forsythia is a very common shrub here in the UK Griss- almost every garden sports at least on bush in full flower at the moment.

AfromTO said...

Already in bloom-my mother had a world class garden -from vegtables,fruit trees to a full flowering garden from early spring to Nov-sometime dec-so few gardeners nowadays seem to be able to have a full rotation and time blossoms so there is always full colour in the garden.

Gail said...

Hi again -
I am good for another 100,000 miles. all looks good inside and out! hallelujah! a few adjustments in medications and perhaps one add-on, but other than that I am fit as a fiddle - well, an older model and a bit out of tune but I still can belt 'em out with the best of 'em :-)
love you and thank you for your prayers
gail
peace.....

KGMom said...

I do love forsythia--but its tendency to grow so rampantly has dissuaded my husband from our planting any.
We had some bushes at our first house--and they required yearly trimming. I didn't mind, but my husband did.
So no yellow blooms here--fortunately, there are some close by.

Grizz………… said...

Weaver…

There's lots of forsythia here, too…and most of it is now in bloom. Lovely big clumps of bright yellow.

Grizz………… said...

AfroTO…

You have to really be a genuine gardener to accomplish the full seasons look. I'm just learning, though Mom had blooms and color around the house most of the year, and I'm finding if I consider what she had out, and do the same, that my flower calendar is fairly complete. But I have lots more space, and lots more shade, which complicates.

Grizz………… said...

Gail…

That's truly wonderful news. Hey, 100,00 miles can't be beat; I figure come my checkup next month, I'll be good if they think I'll manage to run out the original factory warranty.

Anyway, great report…and I won't say I told you so. :-D

George said...

Beautiful photos, Grizz. I also planted forsythia when we moved to our current home. With the blooming of the bushes every March, my joy at their beauty is always dampened a bit by the regret that I didn't plant more. When it comes to forsythia, I'm reminded of that famous May West line: "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful."

Rowan said...

It's a wonderful great splash of colour - I don't have it in my garden but I enjoy it in other people's as I pass by.

Grizz………… said...

George…

I'm planning to rectify that underplanting decision this year. I've recently been assured that it's easy to start new forsythias from cuttings—either by rooting in water and then transplanting, or simply rooting directly in the ground, the same way I've often rooted roses. My biggest problem may be keeping my enthusiasm under control…though your May West line—which I love, and which I can just hear in that sultry drawl of hers—sounds suspiciously prophetic.

Grizz………… said...

Rowan…

If only the gleaming yellow blooms of the forsythia lasted a month instead of merely a week! Alas, like so many beautiful things, their splendor is fleeting. But they're sure pretty at their peak!

Robin said...

Yep... still worried.

Grizz………… said...

Robin…

I think we'll make it…though yesterday it was in the 40s˚ here, gray and ugly and raw, and I wouldn't have been quite so ready to lay my money down.