Question
I have a forsythia shrub that is about 5 years old. I live outside of Philadelphia pa and the plant is planted in close proximity to the woods around our house as well as our fence.  The soil is mostly clay but I have added top soil and humis.  This year parts of the plant don't have leaves and did not bloom.  When I snipped off the broken part there is a hole up the middle of the stem (making it hollow like a straw)  Some stems have smaller diameter holes and the really dead branches have larger diameter holes.  I don't know what the problem is.  I think it is dying.

Answer
Kathy,

The hollow pith (inside of the branch) is normal on Forsythias. I would suspect that the problem is that the plant was damaged from the cold temperatures this winter. Prune back on the dead areas and fertilize- the plant will recover.

Good luck,
Ed Gulliksen