Margaret Read, age 10, of Freeport, I11., for her question:

HOW DID THE FORSYTHIA GET ITS NAME

One of the most beautiful shrubs around is the flowering forsythia, which belongs to the olive family. It was named for the famous British botanist William Forsyth.

The name is easy to pronounce, for sith ee ya.

The forsythia grows to be about nine feet high and it has spreading, arched branches. It has yellow flowers that look like tiny, goldens bells. For this reason, some people call the shrub the golden bell.

Two to six flowers grow in clusters. They bloom in early spring before the leaves appear. The leaves then come out and grow to be three to five inches long. The leaves are egg shaped and they have jagged edges.

Gardeners grow the forsythia in just about any garden soil. Not only do they accept any type of soil, they also aren't too disturbed with the temperature they receive.