sweet broom

A recent addition to my container garden was a broom plant (its botanical name is cytisus x spachianus). This very pretty yellow flowering shrub has turned out to be a great find as it has withstood several torrential downpours followed by hot sun, and it still looks good. I have since read that it is a very hardy shrub and therefore would be great for the beginner. It has small sweet-pea shaped fragrant flowers and can tolerate wind, seashore conditions, and rocky infertile soil. Not bad!


Sweet Broom Facts

Bloom time: Spring, early summer.
Exposure: Full sun.
Soil: Tolerates poor soil.
Average Size: Can reach a height of up to 7 feet, and a width of 5 feet.
Growth rate: Fast.
Water: Very low once established.
Uses: Specimen, rock garden, color accent.
Pruning: Pinch out the tips as needed. Prune after flowering to maintain size and form.

I think I may have had one of these plants before, and it eventually became very dry in the summer and died, but this one is looking good and doesn't appear to have suffered from any of the coastal weather so far which has been hot, cold, sunny and then very wet. I am pretty sure we are on to the last of the rain storms, and by April we'll be heading for the long, dry season. So I guess I'll see what happens then.