Yellow Blooming Spring Shrubs, the difference between Winter Jasmine and Forsythia

Very appropriate setting for Forsythia hedge, open spaced area

One of the most common garden plant identification errors is confusing the Winter Jasmine for Forsythia. Spring after Spring people excitedly claim how beautiful the Forsythia is, when in reality, it's Winter Jasmine. Differences between Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) and Forsythia vary between bloom time, height, and flower shape. It's an easy mistake to make, especially when we're all so thrilled to see anything blooming! Forsythia and Winter Jasmine can both bloom when it's snowing and most varieties have yellow flowers. They are both grouped in the olive family genus, Oleaceae and most varieties originated in Asia.

Looks like a yellow magic marker hit this shrub border!

Forsythia is the more familiar plant and every old roadside farmhouse had a Forsythia shrub or two. This is probably why any yellow Spring blooming shrub is referred to as Forsythia. It's very common in Virginia and many consider it a pest because it's a non-native, fairly aggressive rooting shrub. It's probably the most dastardly hacked shrub known to man! How many bad Forsythia hair jobs have we all seen! DON'T SHAPE UP THE FORSYTHIA. A random shortening of extra long branches is often warranted, but DON'T SHAPE THE FORSYTHIA!

Clump of Forsythia near my garden gate.

For these reasons I've never thought about planting Forsythia but it's interesting that I ended up buying a home with a view of Forsythia from every single window and door in the house! I've grown to appreciate the ability of big clumps to provide shelter for birds, deer, and foxes and of course the Spring cheer that it brings. I wanted to name my property and business after a plant and Forsythia Hill was a perfect fit.

Small and cheery, Winter Jasmine bloom.

Winter Jasmine is a more difficult shrub to acquire as it's not as common. It took me 10 years to track down a free start of this shrub. I've not looked very hard, but one came to me at a plant swap last Spring. I was thrilled to finally have this shrub. It too is fairly aggressive but if planted in the right spot allowed to do its thing, it can make quite a splash. It also is a non-native and should be planted with care. I would like to think my gardening acquisitions would be limited to only natives but I've not been able to control myself. Even natives can be aggressive so care should be given for any planting decision. There is a good FB page that identifies invasive plants which is very informative and there are some horribly destructive plants that we each should never plant.

Forsythia shrub bud when in full bloom. 

There are several ways to determine the difference between these similar Spring blooming plants. The first is bloom time. It's very slight and can overlap but the Winter Jasmine will begin blooming before any other Spring plant. Possibly crocus will peep up at the same moment, but it will show color while everything is gray and asleep. Winter Jasmine is also typically a shorter (2' - 3' tall) arching shrub. Forsythia is straighter and taller. Stems eventually arc over and root but the standard Forsythia is much taller (5 - 6'). There are shorter dwarf Forsythia shrubs which cause extra identification difficulty. Forsythia also has been bred in a white form but is quite uncommon.

Forsythia bud, just before it begins to open

The blooms on the plants are also quite different if you look closeup. In general the Forsythia has a longer tighter pointed petal bloom and the Winter Jasmine has a flat faced rounded petal tip bloom. Of course things become more complicated depending upon where you live and the variety. But I hope these few general differences will help you better identify these common Spring blooming plants.

For local identification in Charlottesville Virginia, there are appropriate uses of Winter Jasmine on Earlysville Rd. near Ivy Creek Nature Center and downtown on McIntire Rd. under the overpass. It's mid-March and the Winter Jasmine is fading and the Forsythia is showing a nice bit of color.

Happy SPRING!

~Rebecca