Yes, forsythia grow in pots works great when you pick a compact variety and use a large container with drainage holes. Dwarf types thrive in containers and give you the same burst of yellow spring flowers you'd get from a garden shrub. Standard forsythia grows too big for pots, but the compact types were made for this.
I've grown a Show Off Sugar Baby in a 20-inch (50.8 centimeter) ceramic pot on my patio for three seasons now. Each spring it covers itself in bright yellow flowers before most other plants wake up. The compact size keeps it easy to manage and I never have to fight it over space. It stays happy in that pot year after year with just basic care from me.
Picking the right dwarf forsythia for pots is the most important decision you'll make. Show Off Sugar Baby tops out at just 24 to 30 inches (61 to 76 centimeters) tall, making it the best option for most container setups. Show Off Starlet grows a bit bigger at 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) and works well in larger pots on a deck or patio. Both varieties produce heavy blooms on compact frames that stay proportional to their containers.
Your forsythia container gardening setup needs a few things done right from the start. Use a pot at least 18 inches (45.7 centimeters) wide with drainage holes in the bottom. Fill it with quality potting mix, not garden soil. Garden soil packs down in pots and chokes the roots. A shrub potting mix gives you the drainage your forsythia needs.
Caring for forsythia in containers takes a bit more attention than ground-planted shrubs. Pots dry out much faster than garden beds, so you'll need to check soil moisture every few days during summer. Stick your finger an inch into the soil. If it feels dry, give the pot a deep drink until water runs from the drainage holes. Feed with a balanced slow-release fertilizer once in early spring since potted plants can't pull nutrients from surrounding ground soil.
Winter care is where container growing gets tricky for you. Pot soil freezes faster than ground soil. That extra cold can kill roots and flower buds that would survive fine if planted in the earth. If you garden in zone 5 or colder, move your pot to an unheated garage during the worst cold. You can also wrap the pot in burlap to add insulation for the roots.
I learned one more lesson about pot placement the hard way. My first year I set the pot against a north-facing wall where it got only 3 hours of sun. The plant grew fine but gave me just a handful of flowers. I moved it to my south-facing patio and the blooms tripled the next spring. Your potted forsythia needs the same full sun it would get planted in the ground.
Forsythia in containers brings spring color to patios, balconies, and entryways where you can't dig a bed. Match the right dwarf variety to the right pot size and stay on top of your watering. Get those basics right and you'll enjoy years of golden spring blooms without a single square foot of garden space.
Read the full article: Forsythia Bush: Complete Growing Guide
