Cytisus - Broom
(Cyt'isus)
DESCRIPTION: This group consists of about fifty deciduous and evergreen, hardy and tender shrubs that are natives of Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. Commonly known as Brooms, these shrubs come in a wide variety of sizes and forms ranging from prostrate mats to erect-growing shrubs. Their whip-like branches have few leaves and the branchlets are deep green. They produce pea-like flowers that are usually colored yellow. Brooms are suitable for growing in the rock garden, sunny border, and lawn bed. C. battandieri (Pineapple Broom) is a tall, deciduous shrub that can reach a height of 12 to 15 feet. It has silvery-gray, silky leaves and, in June, cone-shaped bunches of brilliant yellow flowers, which have the delicious scent of pineapples. C. 'Johnson's Crimson' is a medium-sized, deciduous shrub bearing crimson blossoms, in mid- to late spring. C. 'Minstead' is a beautiful, medium-sized hybrid with tons of small flowers from late spring to early summer. The blossoms are white stained with lilac and shaded darker on the wings and when in bud. C. praecox var. Albus is a small to medium-sized, dense shrub that is covered with white flowers in mid- to late spring. C. 'Zeelandia' is a very pretty, medium-sized, deciduous shrub that produces beautiful flowers from late spring to early summer. The standard petal is lilac outside and cream inside, the wings are pinkish and the keel is cream.
POTTING: Brooms can live in a wide variety of soils, though they prefer dry, poor soil. They can tolerate a slightly acidic or alkaline soil, but not the extremes. They won't thrive in shallow soil over limestone. They can handle quite a bit of heat. Choose a location for your Broom with careful consideration. They will not survive being transplanted. Their site should have excellent drainage and shelter from wind. Pruning consists of simply pinching back the shoots each year to encourage bushiness; cutting into the old wood should be avoided; rather, they can be trained to establish a good stem. The varieties that flower on the previous year's wood, which is most of them, should have that wood cut back a little more than in half after flowering. An exception is C. battandieri, which benefits from a hard pruning every few years. This consists of cutting back the old wood quite far, where there are buds that will rapidly renew the shrub. This shouldn't be done with other Brooms, as it will most likely kill them.
PROPAGATION: Seeds may be sown, as soon as ripe, in containers of sandy soil in a cold frame or greenhouse. It may be advantageous to soak the seeds in water for twenty-four hours before planting. Named varieties will not come true from seed, therefore, cuttings are used. Cuttings can be made of firm summer shoots, 2 to 4 inches long, with a thin heel of the older wood attached. These are inserted in a bed of very sandy soil in a cold frame in August, or in a shady place outside under a bell jar. The named varieties may also be grafted on stocks of Laburnum raised from seeds. The Laburnums are grown in pots and grafting is done in early spring in a propagating case in a warm greenhouse.
VARIETIES: C. ardoinii; C. battandieri (Pineapple Broom) & var. Yellow Tail; C. beanii (Bean's Broom) & var. Golden Carpet; C. 'Boskoop Ruby'; C. 'Burkwoodii'; C. decumbens (Prostrate Broom); C. demissus; C. 'Dukaat'; C. 'Goldfinch'; C. 'Hollandia'; C. 'Johnson's Crimson'; C. kewensis (Kew Broom) & var. Niki; C. 'Killiney Red'; C. 'La Coquette'; C. 'Lena'; C. 'Luna'; C. 'Maria Burkwood'; C. 'Minstead'; C. multiflorus (White Spanish Broom); C. nigricans (Spike Broom); C. 'Palette'; C. 'Porlock'; C. praecox & var. Albus, Allgold, Warminster; C. procumbens (Ground Broom); C. purpureus & var. Albus, Atropurpureus; C. 'Red Wings'; C. scoparius (Scotch Broom) & var. Andreanus, Cornish Cream, Fulgens, Golden Sunlight, maritimus; C. spachianus; C. 'Windlesham Ruby, C. 'Zeelandia'.
Go see DICTIONARY OF BOTANICAL NAMES.
Back to our botanical home page.
