Broom is a lush bush that pleases with abundant flowering in early spring. The plant belongs to the legume family. Its fragrant thickets can be found in Western Siberia, as well as certain regions of Europe and Africa. They are suitable for growing in the garden or indoors. In Celtic mythology, broomweed is associated with well-being and getting rid of everything unnecessary. A whole month is devoted to the plant, when you should take stock and clear yourself of bad habits. For a modern person, the broom house is a wonderful decoration of the garden, a good honey plant and medicine.
Botanical Description
Broom is a tall, sprawling shrub or low tree. Without pruning, the plant reaches 0.5-3 m in height. Smooth, lignified stems are covered with bright green bark. In some varieties, silver stains and short pubescence are present on the cortex. Young branches retain flexibility for a long time and can fall to the ground under the weight of foliage and flowers.
Deciduous and evergreen species are present in the genus. All plants have petiole alternate leaves. The bright green leaf plate is divided into 3 blades with oval lobes. Fractions of apical leaves are often combined into one. The length of the miniature leaf does not exceed 3-4 cm.
Flowering begins in May-June and lasts about a month. There are early flowering varieties in which the buds appear before the leaves. In the leaf sinuses, small racemose inflorescences are formed along the entire length of the young shoot. The characteristic spongy buds exude a pleasant aroma. Flowers can be painted in bright yellow, cream, white or pink. The length of the tubular or bell-shaped calyx with soft petals is 2-3 cm. A small column with stamens and ovary is located under the petals.
After pollination, the fruits ripen — pods with small, flattened beans. Ripening, the pod itself cracks and the beans scatter on the surface of the soil.
It is important to remember that all parts of the plant contain an alkaloid, which in large doses leads to disruption of the respiratory system. It should limit the access of animals and children to the plant, and also wash your hands thoroughly after caring for it.
Variety of species
The genus of broom house has about 50 species of plants.
Russian broomman. A sprawling shrub up to 1.5 m high consists of upright or slightly curved branches. The shoots are covered with small gray-green triple oval or lanceolate leaves. All leaves are crowned with thorns. In the leaf sinuses, 3-5 large yellow flowers are located.
Crown broom. Deciduous, frost-resistant variety. A plant with a mop of thin, flexible shoots forms a shrub up to 3 m high. Young stems are covered with a reddish pubescent bark. Light yellow petals are collected in a narrow cup up to 2 cm long. Popular varieties:
- burkwoody broom - scarlet flowers bordered by a narrow yellow stripe;
- Andreanus Splendens - the petals are covered with yellow-red stains;
- Lena broom - on the scarlet petals is a dark golden longitudinal strip.
Creepy Creeper. This alpine variety is shoots spread out on the ground about 20 cm high and no more than 80 cm wide. Green ribbed stems are pubescent and can take root along their entire length. Dark green oval or lanceolate foliage is 8-20 mm long. Bottom leaf plates are covered with thick pile. Loose paniculate inflorescences are located in the axils of the leaves. The length of the yellow corolla is 15 mm. Flowering occurs in April-May, and in June the beans ripen. The species is resistant to small frosts, but freezes in harsh winters.
The broom is early. The frost-resistant variety forms sprawling bushes 1-1.5 m high. In May, arched shoots are densely covered with bright yellow flowers that exude an intense, pungent odor. The length of the lanceolate light green foliage is about 2 cm.
Very popular is the decorative variety of the early broom, the Ruby Boscop. Erect, branched shoots form a spherical bush up to 1.5 m high. Oblong-lanceolate foliage is painted in light green shades. Petals have a ruby color on the outside and pink and purple inside.
Breeding methods
Propagate broom can be the method of sowing seeds, rooting cuttings or cuttings. Seed propagation is quite effective. Often around the bush you can observe abundant self-seeding. Seeds should be collected in the fall from ripened pods. In March, they are soaked in warm water for 2 days, and then sown in moist sand and peat soil. Some gardeners note that for better germination, a two-month cold stratification is necessary. Each seed is buried by 0.5-1 cm. It is recommended to immediately place them at a distance of 4-6 cm from each other. The bowl is placed in a room with ambient light at a temperature of + 18 ... + 21 ° C. The grown seedlings with 2-3 real leaves dive in separate pots. To form lush bushes, plants should be pinched periodically. At the beginning of summer, another transplant is carried out in a larger container. In open ground, the broom is transplanted in the third year of life. The root system does not tolerate damage, so with all transplants it is important to completely maintain the old earthen lump.
The cuttings are carried out in the summer, after flowering is completed. Cuttings are cut from semi-lignified branches with 2-3 leaves. The sheet plate is shortened by half. Rooting is carried out in sandy peat soil at a temperature of + 18 ... + 21 ° C. Plants need bright diffused light. To reduce moisture loss, it is recommended to cover the seedlings with a transparent cap. After 1-1.5 months, roots form on the broom and the shelter can be removed. Cuttings are grown indoors next spring.
To propagate the broom, layering should use only an adult plant. The lower branches are pressed to the ground and sprinkled with a small layer of soil. By the next spring, the layers will take root and grow strong enough. It can be separated and carefully transplanted to a new place.
Landing Features
Broom is a fairly hardy plant, but it must be transplanted with great care. Damage or overdrying of the rhizome leads to the death of the entire bush. A plant older than 3 years is not transplanted at all, since it will die. The soil for the broom should be loose and moderately fertile. The use of substrates with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction is optimal. You can take a mixture of peat, compost, turf soil and river sand. When digging a garden plot before planting, you should immediately make a complex of mineral fertilizers.
Drainage material (pebbles or red brick fragments) is poured into the bottom of the hole. The plant is placed so that the root neck is located on the surface. For group plantings, the distance should be respected depending on the variety selected. On average, the distance should be 30-50 cm.
Broom Care
It is not at all difficult to care for the broom, especially if the place for it is chosen correctly. The plant prefers bright diffused light. It should be planted in places where the sun looks in the morning and evening, and during the day a small shadow forms. Indoor copies are exhibited in rooms with eastern or western orientation of the windows. In order for garden plants to develop well, they need to be protected from drafts and strong gusts of wind. Heat-loving varieties are grown in containers, which are put into the garden for the summer and brought to cool rooms in the winter. All varieties need to provide winter cooling to + 10 ... + 15 ° C.
The broom is resistant to drought, but can tolerate rare flooding of the soil. In nature, it can be found in floodplains of rivers where spring floods occur. Regular flooding of the soil is contraindicated for broom, as well as close occurrence of groundwater. Bushes are watered only during a period of prolonged drought or in too hot weather.
In order for the crown to develop better and flowering was plentiful, it is necessary to fertilize the bushes periodically. To do this, use grass or dung humus, diluted in water. For the season it is enough to carry out 2-3 dressings.
The broom is resistant to most plant diseases and pests. The shoots are rarely affected by powdery mildew, which can be eliminated with a solution of copper sulfate. Sometimes a moth-perforate settles on leaflets. It is removed by spraying with a solution of chlorophos.
Using
Broom is good in single and group plantings. Its flowering cascades will revive the still not too bright spring site. At the thicket of broom, it is worth placing several large boulders, then the plant will look most organically. It looks beautiful near the coniferous trees, as well as in the vicinity of heather, lilies of the valley, lavender, aerials. If you plant the bushes in a row, you get a great hedge.
