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Gold Tide Forsythia

Bright Spring Blooms
Compact Spreading Habit
Great For Massing

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Gold Tide Forsythia

Sunlight
Can grow in a range from full sun to partial shade. They need at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight per day.
Watering
Regular watering schedule for the first six months. Once established, rainwater should be sufficient.
Fertilizing
Should not need any extra fertilizer unless your entire lawn and garden have problems and needs regular fertilizing.

Gold Tide Forsythia

Gold Tide Forsythia is a compact, low-spreading deciduous shrub celebrated for brilliant yellow early spring flowers before the foliage emerges. Its tidy size and wide habit make it excellent for foundation beds, slopes, borders, mass plantings, and sunny landscape edges.

Why choose Gold Tide Forsythia?

Choose Gold Tide Forsythia for classic spring color in a more manageable, landscape-friendly form. Unlike taller forsythias, this selection stays relatively low while spreading outward, making it useful as a flowering groundcover shrub, front-of-border accent, or mass planting. The bright yellow blooms provide eye-catching seasonal impact, while the green summer foliage creates a clean backdrop after flowering. It is adaptable, easy to place, and especially appealing where gardeners want early color without a large shrub footprint.

Key Characteristics

Botanical Name: Forsythia × intermedia ‘Courtasol’
Common Name: Gold Tide Forsythia
Plant Type: Deciduous flowering shrub
Growth Habit: Low, spreading, mounding shrub

Gold Tide Forsythia Additional Information

Gold Tide Forsythia brings one of the first major flower displays of the season, covering its arching branches with bright yellow blooms in early spring before the leaves fully emerge. After flowering, fresh green foliage fills in to provide a neat, low shrub presence through summer. In fall and winter, the plant drops its leaves and reveals a branching framework that can be lightly shaped after bloom.

This dwarf forsythia is especially useful for slopes, banks, low hedges, foundation plantings, walkway edges, and massed spring color. It flowers on old wood, so pruning is best done immediately after the spring bloom period. Use selective thinning or light shaping to maintain its natural spreading form rather than heavy late-season pruning, which may reduce the following year’s flowers. Gold Tide Forsythia is a practical choice for gardeners who want dependable spring color in a compact, easy-care shrub.

Planting & Care

1. Planting: Plant Gold Tide Forsythia in full sun to partial shade in well-drained soil. Choose a location with enough room for its low, spreading habit to develop naturally, especially when using it as a border or mass planting.

2. Watering: Water thoroughly after planting and keep the soil evenly moist while roots establish. Once established, it handles average garden conditions well, though supplemental watering during extended dry periods supports healthy growth and flowering.

3. Mulching: Apply a 2–3 inch layer of mulch around the root zone to conserve moisture, moderate soil temperature, and reduce weed competition. Keep mulch pulled back slightly from the base of the stems.

4. Pruning: Prune immediately after flowering if shaping is needed. Since Gold Tide Forsythia blooms on old wood, spring pruning after bloom helps preserve flower buds for the next season.

Related Resources

FAQs

How big does Gold Tide Forsythia get?
Gold Tide Forsythia typically stays low, often around 1–2 feet tall with a wider spread of about 3–4 feet, making it well suited for borders, slopes, and mass plantings.
When does Gold Tide Forsythia bloom?
It blooms in early spring, producing bright yellow flowers before or just as the leaves emerge. This makes it one of the earliest shrubs to add color to the landscape.
When should Gold Tide Forsythia be pruned?
Prune right after flowering. This timing allows the plant to set buds for the following spring and helps maintain its naturally low, spreading shape.

Shipping Details

Estimated Shipping Time: Most orders ship immediately. As noted on the website, some items are seasonal, and may only ship in spring or fall. Once your order is shipped, you’ll receive an email with a tracking number.

Amount of Order	Shipping Charge
Local Delivery	FREE SHIPPING
Non-Local Delivery	Varies based on UPS shipping

Thrives
Full Sun
Flowering

Mature Height	Medium: Up to 4 ft
Mature Spread	0-5 ft
Growth Rate	Moderate, Slow
Botanical Name	Forsythia 'Courtasol'
Bloom Time	Early Spring
Deer Resistant	Usually
Family	Oleaceae
Flower Color	Yellow/Orange
Hardiness Zones	5, 6, 7, 8
Size	#3 Container, #5 Container, #7 Container
Light Needs	Full Sun, Partial Sun
Maintenance	Low

United States map with most states shaded dark green and a few states left white. (Informative map)

Growing Zones 5-8 Outdoors

(Hardy down to -20)

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Maintenance	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low