Welcome to the Garden Ninja Gardening Forum! If you have a gardening question that you can't find answers to then ask below to seek help from the Garden Ninja army! Please make your garden questions as specific and detailed as possible so the community can provide comprehensive answers in the online forum below.

Welcome to the ultimate beginner gardening and garden design forum! Where no gardening question is too silly or obvious. This online gardening forum is run by Lee Burkhill, the Garden Ninja from BBC 1's Garden Rescue and a trusted group of experienced gardeners.

Whether you are a beginner or an expert gardener, it's a safe place to ask garden-related questions for garden design or planting. If you have a problem in your garden or need help, this is the Garden Forum for you!

Posting Rules: This space is open for all garden-related questions. Please be polite, courteous and respectful. If you wouldn't say it to your mum's face, then don't post it here. Please don't promote, sell, link spam or advertise here. Please don't ask for 'cheeky' full Garden redesigns here. They will be deleted.

If you need a garden design service, please use this page to book a design consultation. I will block anyone who breaks these rules or is discourteous to the Garden Ninja Community.

Join the forum below with your gardening questions!

Ask a Gardening QuestionGardening Questions & Answers: Plant Problemsblotchy forsythia

Please or Register to create posts and topics.

blotchy forsythia

#1 · 16th August 2024, 5:49 pm

I'm rather conserved about my forsythia, nothing has changed about its care and it gets mulched annually to return nutrients to the soil.

However it has developed this awful yellow/green blotching all over it. There doesn't seem to be any signs of pests and I can't understand why suddenly the nutrients available would change. Any ideas?

#2 · 16th August 2024, 9:09 pm

Hopefully photos will load this time

Uploaded files:

#3 · 18th August 2024, 5:46 pm

Hi @kat

Thanks for your comment. Looking up close at the Forsythia it looks like its got some form of rust probably from the very wet spring and summer we have had. The good news is Forsythia is pretty much bomb proof, so although unsightly it won't harm it much. But what is rust you may ask?

Plant rust is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants, causing distinctive rust-colored, orange, yellow, or brown spots or pustules on leaves, stems, and other plant parts. I can spot them on the upclose leaves and the fact they have turned yellow is down to the rust.

These spots are actually clusters of fungal spores that spread the disease to other plants, often through wind or water. Rust can weaken plants by interfering with photosynthesis, leading to reduced vigour, leaf drop, and sometimes even plant death if left untreated. This disease thrives in warm, moist conditions, making it more common during humid weather. Treatment typically involves removing infected plant material, improving air circulation, and applying fungicides (not very effective and quite damaging to the environment) when necessary.

As Forsythia flower in late winter you should still get good blooms but DONT PRUNE IT until its finished flowering or you'll cut off all the potential buds for next year.

Happy gardening.

Lee Garden Ninja