The Forsythia - Northern Sun is a new forsythia that is especially hardy to northern climates.  This is a very adaptable shrub and grows fairly quickly for planting on an embankment, for a border or for privacy.  It puts on a stunning show of yellow flowers in spring and it's leaves will grow after the flowering which comes from lots of full sun.  It will flower before most other flowering shrubs.  The fall foliage is usually chartreuse but is sometimes a mixture including yellow, red-wine, and purple.

The shrub is upright and arching and should be pruned occasionally.  You will want to prune with the shape of the arching branches.  If you try to shear them into formal hedges, you will lose some of the flower producing branches and it won't be able to flower as well.  You will also lose the beauty of the plant with it's arching shape.  This is a good sized shrub so you'll want to make sure you plant it in an area where it can spread itself out and not too close together.  This would be a great shrub for some very welcome spring color at a time that you may still have snow on the ground.