What color flowers does winter jasmine bloom? Cuttings propagation and the difference from forsythia explained in one go

Winter jasmine, also known as Yingchun, Huang Suxin and Golden Belt, is a deciduous shrub that grows in clusters, with a flowering period from February to April. It gets its name because it is the earliest among all flowers to bloom, and right after it flowers, the spring of a hundred flowers blooming arrives. So, what color flowers does winter jasmine bloom? Can it be propagated by cuttings? What are its differences from forsythia?

1. What color flowers does winter jasmine bloom?

Winter jasmine blooms small golden-yellow flowers. The flowers are borne singly on the previous year's branches, opening before the leaves, with a delicate fragrance. Together with plum blossom, narcissus and camellia, it is known as one of the “Four Friends in the Snow”, and it is one of the common flowers in China.

2. Can winter jasmine be propagated by cuttings?

Winter jasmine is mainly propagated by cuttings, and can also be propagated by layering and division. Cuttings: can be done in spring, summer and autumn. Cut semi-lignified branches 12-15 cm long, insert them into sandy soil, keep moist, and they root in about 15 days. Layering: bury longer branches shallowly in sandy soil without wounding them; they root after 40-50 days, and are separated from the mother plant and transplanted in the following spring. Division: can be done in spring when the buds begin to swell. When transplanting in spring, cut off part of the above-ground branches and keep the original soil. Dry planting is also possible, that is, insert the cuttings in a prepared seedbed and then water thoroughly. Cuttings can be taken from mid-October to mid-November or in spring. After rooting, plant them separately; they can also be propagated by division or layering.

3. What are the differences between winter jasmine and forsythia?

1) The old branches of winter jasmine are grayish-brown, and the branchlets are four-angled, slender, growing in an arching form, and green. The leaves are all trifoliate compound leaves, growing symmetrically in a cross shape, with smaller leaflets that are ovate-elliptic, entire, with a narrow and abruptly pointed tip. The flowers are borne singly, yellow, salverform, and grow in the leaf axils of the previous year's branches. Forsythia branches, however, are round, the branchlets are light brown, the stems are hollow inside, and they often droop. The leaves are larger, ovate to long-elliptic, with neat serrations on the upper half and entire margins on the lower half. The leaves are simple or in opposite threes, with the terminal leaf larger and the two lateral leaves smaller. The flowers are golden-yellow, with broader petals.

2) The branchlets of winter jasmine are green, while the branchlets of forsythia are darker in color, generally light brown.

3) Each winter jasmine flower has 6 petal segments, while forsythia has only 4.

4) Winter jasmine rarely bears fruit, while forsythia bears fruit.