A quick annual pruning will keep flowering shrubs shapely and full of blooms. Cut a few of the oldest stems to the ground. Take care not to injure new shoots emerging from the ground. Also remove suckers and narrow, weak shoots at the base of the plant. Prune spent blooms to encourage profuse flowering.
Forsythia becomes a tangled mess unless pruned each year.
To maintain its naturally graceful, arching form, cut one-third of the oldest stems on established plants to the ground. Cut most of the stems that have blossomed back to the ground. Cut a few low on the stem where new growth is sprouting. They will fill out the base of the shrub. Today's Homeowner, a division of Times Mirror Magazines.