In article , "Timothy"
wrote:
On Sun, 25 May 2003 22:03:49 -0700, Lil wrote:
About a year ago, we picked up a scotch broom cheap at Target because it's
so pretty and smelled nice. The tag said it liked it moist so I thought
it would be ideal for the spot in the garden that gets pretty wet during
the winter.
They can be harmed by too much moisture. They do well in poor ground, full
sun, & except in the hottest weeks probably won't even require watering.
But if after a year yours are doing well enough in wet conditions, then I
wouldn't worry about it, even though it's not optimal for them.
While doing research on other plants, I discovered that Scotch broom
infestation is a major problem in certain parts of Northern California,
Oregon, British Columbia and even Australia.
So the question is, is it REALLY an invasive plant and is it SO bad
environmentally that I should yank it out?
WILD scotch broom (Cytisis scoparius) is a class B invasive here in
Washington, where it is illegal to sell or possess the shrubs or their
seeds (though it's a bit late for that kind of legislation to have any
effect). Its many cultivars however are NOT invasive. They are beautiful
shrubs worthy of positions in the garden. Many are hybridized with C.
dallimorei. Their chances of escaping to the wild are relatively slight,
& if they did self-seed into a field, they wouldn't compete successfully
with native shrubs (neither, in fact, does wild scotch broom, which is
more prone to taking over grasslands). When cultivars do cross-pollinate
with wild brooms, the result is sometimes a bright red & yellow wild broom
about half the size of the wild shrubs, incapable of competing with native
shrubs or wild brooms.
I've no idea what Target was selling but there are dozens of cultivars &
none are invasive. The most often offered cultivar is Burkwood's Broom, a
recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit for
its long-term proven garden perfection.
Booty-full Burkwood's Broom:
http://www.paghat.com/broomburkwood.html
Gor-juss "Lena" Broom:
http://www.paghat.com/broom.html
Nee-Toe-Winkies "Lilac Time" Broom:
http://www.paghat.com/broom_lilactime.html
Nasty ol' wild yellow scotch broom:
http://www.paghat.com/scotchbroom.html
Here in Washington state it is a bad problem. The problem is not the
growth of the plant, but the seeding of it. Seeing that it's part of the
pea family, it seems to attract birds who eat and redistribute the seeds
and around here, those seeds take root.
The seeds only occasionally survive birds' digestive systems. It's a
contributing factor, but the main factor in the spread of wild brooms are
motor vehicles, the seeds adhering to wheels, & the seeds also often in
transported landfill & gravel. That's how it finally got east of the
Cascades. It prefers recently disrupted soils in areas where humans have
already eradicated native plant life; it thrives best where people live &
where human exploitation of the land has already destroyed native flora.
It also likes open prairie or grazing lands where it out-competes grasses
which for the most part are already no longer native grasses. It almost
never invades forests as it is not successfully competitive against native
shrubs. Where it does get into forests, it is mainly in the clearcuts,
having been brought in on the wheels of loggers' vehicles, & colonized the
clear-cut area before native plants can return. This is why in Washington
it is "only" a Class B invasive. It is outlawed (except the safe
cultivars) because it takes over clear-cuts before replanted saplings of
harvestable trees can get re-established, plus it takes over grazing lands
already full of invasive grasses & alfalfa & hay. It competes not as much
with Nature as it does with Human economic exploitation of the same lands.
If a location is completely plowed flat for future construction, often the
brooms appear before the new construction does. Here in the northwest
broom is kinda like the Norway rat, rarely encountered in the woods,
invariably present where people live.
There are quite a few folks around
here who have problems with the pollen also.
My personal opinion, they look nice when in bloom and they look like a
dog's breakfast the rest of the time.
I find semi-evergreen brooms beautiful year-round. The six weeks they
spend in full flower is particularly amazing, but a nicely cared for
Burkwood Broom is a pretty thing with or without blossoms.
-paghat the ratgirl
--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl:
http://www.paghat.com/