On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 21:21:19 -0600, Janice
opined:

On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 19:44:10 -0500, Dawn
wrote:

I'd like to know what this is so I can find out how to take care of it.
It seems to be very overgrown with a lot of dead branches underneath the
new growth. I'd love to whack it to the ground and let it re-grow, it's
about 3 feet wider than I'd like for the location it's in and it catches
all the neighbor's beer cans and take-out wrappers that blow out of his
pickup.


http://www.reddawn.net/dawn/photos/APR11_02.JPG
http://www.reddawn.net/dawn/photos/APR11_03.JPG
http://www.reddawn.net/dawn/photos/APR11_04.JPG

Any help identifying this bush would be appreciated.



Dawn

If those yellow things are blooms not leaves, then I vote for
forsythia. One of my most unfavorite things in the world. But
basically they bloom on year old wood, so personally, I'd whack it to
the ground after it's bloomed, then any new growth would bloom next
year. It looks like it's growing too close to the building has been
ignored .. except by the pruning shear guy. They should be put
somewhere with room to grow up and arch over.

If it's a spirea, which I don't think it is, it too would bloom on
year old wood, and too would need a place to grow where it can arch ..
but I wouldn't whack that clear to the ground, as it's not evil like
forsythia ;-)

If you don't want to whack it ALL down, I'd cut out any big canes, and
water it well. Move it if you want to keep .. or move part of it..
where it has room to grow... if you have such a place. If it were on
my place though, I'd be headin' for it with a shovel.. like when I
moved into this house, there was a forsythia out there and I didn't
know if it was on my place or the neighbors's.. and I was headed for
it with the shovel when the guy came out of the house next door, and I
said.. "that in your yard or mine?" He said, I think ours. I said,
damn! and slunk back to my house...dragging the shovel. *sigh* ..
it's still out there pretty much unkempt of cared for clashing with
the pink blossoms of the peach tree with it's yellow green blossoms on
the scraggly mess of a bush, 27 years later!

Janice

It's not a forsythia. Do not "whack" it to the ground without knowing what it
is. The photos are very poor and not clear enough to identify it properly. I
can tell you, it's definitely not forsythia. Even if it was, I would never
recommend hacking it to the ground.