If planting in Spring, make sure you watch over your scotch broom during the first summer, and water in case it gets too dry.The young shrub can spread its roots out throughout the winter. Planting when the soil is frozen is more difficult and less successful.Īs with most shrubs, November is best time for planting it.You can plant it either in Fall or in Spring. Usually, you’ll purchase your scotch broom seedlings in a nursery pot.

You win some, you lose some.Plentiful across Europe, Scotch broom is a shrub that bears wonderful flushes of yellow blooms in Spring.ĭefinitely among the easiest broom shrubs to care for: hardy, rarely sick, it self-seeds to compensate its short lifespan. ( Wikipedia also notes he is credited with bringing the sport of cricket to the Island around the same time. Grazing goats also work, “although grazing may have to be repeated to treat sprouts from cut stems and banked seeds,” said the information page. The page notes broom is difficult to eradicate, but cutting the plant stem close to the ground often kills the plants if they are old or under maximum drought stress.Ĭrushing the plants and burning them also tends to get the job done. “However, it is now known that the leaves, buds and pods of broom contain toxic chemicals or substances that can affect the nervous system and the heart.” During pioneering times, the seeds of broom were roasted and used as coffee substitute, while new shoots were used as a replacement for hops in beer production,” said a provincial information page on broom. “For years broom was regarded as a beneficial plant. “One of my crazy relatives no doubt,” replied Maureen Deptuck.Īccording to the BC Forest Practices Branch, Captain Walter Colquhoun Grant brought seed to Vancouver Island in the 1850s. “From Scottish settler who was lonesome for home,” explained John Wm Charlie. “Well, it was brought here from Scotland, and it will never leave! Being Scottish, I love to see it here,” she wrote. Lorna Stewart had another, more humorous take. “Remove it! Awful plant especially for allergy sufferers,” she wrote. “Get rid of it so local plants can thrive!” “It is taking out natural habitat growth for species that need it, it needs to be completely eradicated across the island,” added Marie Blue. “Have you ever seen how fast it burns! Fire hazard fuel for fires,” wrote Linda Gray.

Readers told us the broom has got to go - and for multiple reasons. RELATED: North Cowichan receives grant to help deal with invasive plants The Municipality of North Cowichan recently received a grant of $22,500 over three years to help manage the spread of invasive plants in the region, though that won’t help the rash of broom on the Malahat. However, it IS an invasive plant so should be controlled,” wrote John Newcomb on the Citizen’s Facebook page. “I like the vivid yellow broom blossoms that are now appearing and that cloak a lot of the Malahat highway area. While it can be argued that it’s pretty, and some do make that argument, readers have let us know it’s generally abhorred. Scotch Broom is an invasive plant whose bright yellow flowers blanket many areas around Vancouver Island. Love it or hate it - wait what? Who loves it? Turns out some do.

Broom plant with yellow flowers