Cytisus scoparius (Broom)
| Price £ each (ex. VAT) | ||||
| Height | Form | 25+ | 100+ | 500+ |
| 30-50cm | P9 Cont. | 1.95 | 1.40 | 1.15 |
Delivery
Available from November to April
Prices
The prices above are offered as a guide and may be subject to fluctuation dependant upon the time of season and supply. We recommend that contact is made with the office for larger orders, a quotation and to check availability Alternatively please contact us to enquire about opening a wholesale account.
Broom, sometimes also known as Scotch Broom, is a fast-growing plant of open countryside where its bright golden-yellow provide a splash of vivid colour in late spring. A large native shrub, with whippy green stems and small leaves, it’s a useful plant for poor soils where little else will grow, and is often used to stabilise thin sandy soil and sand dunes.
Site and soil
Best in full sun, Broom will tolerate light shade. It copes well with windy situations and exposed coastal sites and needs a well-drained soil. Good in thin acid sands, it also grows well on alkaline soils as long as they’re not too shallow.
Height and spread
After 10 years: 1.5m x 1.5m
After 20 years: 1.5m x 1.5m
Leaf and bark
The leaves are small, 1-2cm long, 3-palmate. The stems are slender, bright green and arching.
Flower, seed and fruit
The small, bright yellow pea flowers are borne in great profusion in late spring and are very fragrant. They are followed by downy seed-pods, rather like a small pea-pod, which ripen to black. On hot summer days they explode with a loud crack to release the seeds inside.
Uses
Screens, windbreaks, hedges. Cover for game. Broom has a spreading root system which makes it a useful plant for stabilising poor soils. Its roots have the additional benefit of being able to fix nitrogen, which improves the fertility of the soil wherever it is planted.
Broom stems have a long history of use for broom and basket making. They have also been used for thatching and making woven fences and screens. The leaves and flowers have been used medicinally, and the flower buds can be pickled and used as a substitute for capers. A fibre from the bark has been used to make paper and cloth, and the bark has also been used for tanning. A dye can be obtained from the leaves. Broom was a symbol of the Plantagenet kings from the time of Henry II.
Wildlife
The pollen is important for bees and other insects, and the shrub provides shelter and cover for birds.
Pruning
Broom can be pruned after flowering, but never cut into old wood.
