you use rejuvenation pruning on flowering shrubs..

see link ... peruse a bit.. then narrow down your further questions ...

ken

https://www.bing.com/search?q=rejuvenation+pruning+of+forsythia&pc=MOZI&form=MOZTSB

Wow, that plant is a mess, and it looks like such a bad spot for such a large plant. I would take a chain saw and cut it back to 1-2', dig is up and move it to a sunnier location with more room to grow. Or give it to a neighbor if you do not have a spot for it. Water it in well and keep the soil moist, but not overly wet, and it will sprout and leaf out from the base. These are tough plants. Pinch the new growth after it grows about 4" to get it to branch out and to build a body. In a few years it will look great and bloom like crazy.

I understand that if I want to hard prune, now is the time to do it - the flowers are almost gone. I guess what I'm really asking is whether it's worthwhile to do so, since I'm not really sure this is a good spot for a forsythia in general. The former owners pruned it to a hedge shape because there isn't a lot of room for it to spread without getting in the way of the narrow walkway beside the house - you can just see the edge of the walkway in the bottom left corner of the second photo. I would say there is no more than 2.5 feet of ground between the porch and the walkway, which doesn't seem like enough room for a forsythia to spread naturally. Also, as you can see it is planted RIGHT next to the porch footings, which is also maybe not ideal.

Thanks Tim - I agree that it just doesn't seem like the right place for it. I do have a sunnier spot on my front slope where I think it might do just fine, so perhaps I will try moving it as you suggest. Do you have any recommendations for another plant with a narrower growth habit that might do well in a shady spot? I am looking at andromeda, eunoymous, maybe some holly?

if you google images of Fs .. you will find.. that a plant that tall .. is an 8 foot mound ...

you can not restrict it.. easily.. in 2.5 foot wide spot ...

you can spend some years... learning how to prune on it.. but in the back of your mind.. keep in mind.. its improperly sited.. and should be gone ...

they root in about 4 minutes... take some pencil width branches.. stick them in a pot of media... and by fall ... you can plant one in a better spot ... so when the time comes for this one to go... so be it ...

ken

lol.. too much potential ...

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=forsythia&FORM=HDRSC2

Thanks for the advice on propagation - if we decide we want to have one elsewhere, that's what we'll do. They are lovely plants but the sprawl just isn't right for this spot.

2.5' is not much room to work with, but there are artificial boxwood walls that you could install in sections, they are only a few inches thick and as wide and as tall as the supporting frames will allow considering wind and snow loads.

If you want a genuine living screen, then installing somewhat denser lattice work for year round privacy and growing vines on it may also work.

Thanks Ontario. I'm actually not sure I love the idea of having a shrub right up against the porch in any case - I'd prefer for it to feel open and airy. What might work better is planting something along the other side of that narrow path, which is bordered by a chain link fence. Our neighbor has a big holly bush on her side but it doesn't extend far enough down the fence to give us porch privacy. I'll have to measure on that side of the path to see if we have enough room for a hedge.

Sure, same idea on the other side then, the thing is that there are 1' thick screening solutions, and if you remove the forsythias altogether you would gain 1.5' of width for the narrow path.

It needs to be moved, out into an open space. Then, if you're like me, and cannot stand the natural form of forsythia (forsythia x intermedia not forsythia suspensa) you can shear it. I can post a photo of a nice one in bloom later if I can find it.