Cytisus scoparius | broom

A yellow blast from this contemporary style icon

With its mix of contemporary yellow against arid evergreen stems, broom is an icon among future plants

Broom gets its name from the old use of its tough stems with wiry ends. Cut, dried and upturned, with lots of stems tied together, broom was once used to sweep floors. Who knows why we all stopped using it.

A wild shrub in the pea family, Fabaceae, it will be familiar to walkers of rugged places, growing in the most inhospitable spots. Not so inhospitable for broom, with its upright sprays of stems and tiny, almost imperceptible moisture conserving leaves. It loves the places many other plants don’t.

In spring it transforms from inconspicuous to glowing star with a galaxy of brightest of bright yellow flowers. Large and numerous.

I’ve planted various brooms around our garden, a main thread. The wild species, even more than the cultivated varieties, is one of my favourite shrubs.

Need to know information about Cytisus scoparius

Broom can grow to over 2m

Cytisus scoparius is a wiry thing. Woody stems hold vertical or fountain shaped evergreen photosynthesising stems upright against the wind toward the sun.

This growth is an evolutionary adaptation that allows broom to thrive in tough wastelands. It can grow in drier soils as well as wet, and can be baked in the hot dry months of summer without a care in the world.

Broom evolved in and grows all over Europe. Which tells us it tolerates pretty much any soil, which it does - except the most waterlogged.

Some of our plants are growing in part shade but what it can’t tolerate is full shade. It prefers as much sun as you can give it.

Plants will grow up to 2m tall, over head height for me, though some may be shorter. Their width is about half the height, giving a pleasing upright presence.

In essence, this is a tolerant plant that is suitable for a range of conditions making it ideal as a candidate for garden shrubs in a changing climate. Its shape and colour is highly contemporary.

Don’t plant broom outside of Europe because it spreads quickly and is a problem in other parts of the world. Look to other similar local species, everywhere has a broom-like plant.

How to propagate Cytisus scoparius

One of the wild brooms I added to our garden when it was still young, they grow rapidly

You can propagate broom by taking 20cm long cuttings in late summer, burying half or so in peat free compost kept damp and covered to keep moisture in. They should root after a number of weeks. I do find broom cuttings can be susceptible to rot which makes it slightly trickier to root than normal as they can’t be too dry either. But, with enough cuttings you’re sure to have a number succeed.

Alternatively, the easiest way is to let them self sow around, keeping an eye out for seedlings to then move. You can also collect and sow the seeds yourself. Broom seeds tend to germinate better after a period of cold stratification (i.e. winter). You can recreate this by keeping in the fridge for a month or so, but the easiest way is to sow them in autumn, leaving them outside all winter to then germinate in spring. Which is the way they germinate in the wild.

Using broom in design

Masses of broom growing at 6,000ft in Madeira

I adore the bright yellow of the spring flowers combined with emerging pink and white flowers of plants such as pink campion and ox-eye daisy. However, the main draw for me, and the reason I was attracted to broom in the first place, is for its incredible evergreen architecture - it’s almost unique among temperate shrubs.

In temperate parts of the world, few plants have the architectural shape of something like cacti or other succulents. Broom’s spindly stems, do have distinct shape. Upright on its own, fluffy and grassy en masse.

Verticality is the appeal. Although the stems inevitably lean with gravity and age, they want to be vertical and that’s how they grow, so the impression is of many linear vertical lines in a dense pattern. It contrasts with almost everything around it, much like upright grasses, only larger.

Pair broom with other similarly sized shrubs, such as wild dog rose, Hydrangea or smaller Potentilla fruticosa. It grows well with wild gorse.

Because broom allows a lot of light around and below it, it’s ideal for underplanting with large perennials such as geranium, Vicia cracca, other wildflowers and exotics. It’s great for growing in long grass areas such as part of a meadow, pasture or rough grass.

Ours are planted either smack bang in the middle of the ornamental plantings, or in rougher grassy areas. No prep needed, just shove em in.

I would never prune a broom. I like its wild look and the interesting shapes the elements create with the stems. Though you can lightly prune if you stay in the green parts, this will make it bushier. I like them lighter, leaving them alone.

The best thing about wild broom, is that it will gently self sow and spread, allowing you to grow more as you wish - or simply pull out or mow. Because broom is reported to be short lived, though I’ve never had one die on me yet, backups are useful.

Is broom edible?

Broom covered in frost in winter

No Cytisus scoparius is toxic due to the alkaloid content.

Is broom good for wildlife?

Agonopterix assimilella is one moth species that feeds specifically on Cytisus scoparius. In addition, various butterflies, moths and bees use the flowers in spring. As well as some beetles and other insects feeding on the leaves. Rabbits and deer may graze on large patches in winter - not their favourite, but important when pickings are slim. Small birds will nest in broom if dense enough.

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Broom is the anti-rose. The cure for blousiness. Stylish and sleek, strength from the elements. A plant for our time and our future. Better yet, it’s wild and free.

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