It is also poisonous to livestock, and its pollen is allergenic to some people. This well-behaved hybrid tolerates poor soil and requires little care. Scotch broom is a fast growing shrub in the Fabaceae (pea) family, characterized by its masses of yellow flowers. Dense clumps make interesting hedge, divider or screen. Biological control of it has had some success. Lena Scotch Broom Cytisus x Lena (Dallimorei hybrid) SKU 03136 2 Reviews Abundant sprays of fragrant lemon yellow and ruby-red blooms cover slender green stems. The Puget Sound prairie ecosystem is threatened by the rampant growth of Scotch Broom. It spreads rapidly to disturbed and deforested lands and competes with the seedlings of native or plantation trees. Scotch Broom is a popular ornamental plant and has been planted in freeway medians for years for this reason. But because it grows so densely, not much else can grow in its presence. Thus the broom is actually improving the soil for itself and other plants. Its drought tolerance makes it ideal for xeriscaping and planting in areas with limited water resources. It makes a beautiful and unique informal hedge, and works well planted on slopes and steep banks. The nitrogen is converted to nitrates, which are important nutrients for plant growth. Burkwood Scotch Broom can be planted as a single specimen, or en masse in large containers or borders. Like other legumes (members of the pea family), Scotch Broom fixes atmospheric nitrogen through symbiotic cyanobacteria in nodules along its roots. As the pods dry, they burst open with an audible snap and expel their seeds to some distance, a mechanism for avoiding the immediate shade and nutrient and water capture of the parent plant. Most conventional nurseries sell some in the Philadelphia, PA region, especially when in flower in late spring, with flowers being pea-like and usually yellow for the species with some cultivars showing a bronze-red, pink, white. The pollinated flowers are followed by flattened black seed pods about 2-3 cm long. Scotch Broom is one of those shrubs, a barely woody one, that can become a rather ugly plant if not properly pruned. You can plant it either in Fall or in Spring. Then the bee is forced to go elsewhere to continue foraging and will eventually visit another plant, thus mixing the genes. Usually, youll purchase your scotch broom seedlings in a nursery pot. When the bee enters the flower, it opens explosively and dusts the insect with much of the pollen contained. The flowers are pollinated mostly by bees, both honeybees and bumblebees. The leaves are lost in winter, and the plant becomes a cluster of dense, hard branches, not nearly so attractive as in spring, when each plant may become covered with yellow pea-like flowers, about 2 cm in length. The densely packed leaves on upright branches are trifoliate (three leaflets) and clover-like. Scotch Broom can be considered a beautiful addition to the landscape or it can be considered an invasive weed that should never have been brought from the British Isles to the Pacific Northwest.
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