Forsythia is a spring flowering shrub that will naturally branch out a bit but grows upright from the base. To encourage more branching simply snip off the longest branches at the point that you want branching and the new growth will sprout from several directions. Pruning right after the shrub finishes flowering is the best time to do this. You can also prune the entire shrub to about 3 feet high and it will branch out in all directions. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti