

#Scotch broom bush full
Easily grown in poor, neutral to slightly acid, well-drained soils in full sun.Use in mass plantings, mixed borders or as an informal screen or hedge. Fast-growing, adaptable, care-free, it is drought, dry and poor soils, salt tolerant. The stems bear small, deep green trifoliate leaves. (2-5 cm) long, which will explode when mature forcefully expelling the seeds. The blossoms give way to fuzzy seed pods, 1-2 in. When in bloom, this Scotch Broom is one of the most eye-catching sight in the spring garden. Incredibly showy, they literally smother the plant. A fast grower, it is very hardy and can cope with sea spray, too.Cytisus scoparius 'Moonlight' (Scotch Broom) is a deciduous shrub with upright to arching stems boasting a profusion of moonlight yellow to creamy white pea-like flowers in spring. Wolf-willow, more often called SilverberryĪ native of the West Coast, Eleagnus x commutata has wonderful silvery leaves. This shrub is actually more of a small tree, so you’ll have to prune it to keep it small. Berry-rich Elderberryĭouble the joy with American elderberry, the fruits of which you can make delicious jam and jelly. It’s not an invasive threat to the Americas. They’re round as perfect marbles! Sprigs make for great brooms, too.Īlthough native to Europe, it’s not a very aggressive colonizer. What makes this little guy stand out is the bright red berries.

Ruscus aculeatus – This low-lying berry shrub has leaves that are very similar to those of French broom. There are several fabulous varieties to choose from, too, such as the Mahonia eurybracteata (like the ‘ Soft Caress‘). Leaves are a bit prickly, and its berries are edible (and delicious!). Mahonia, especially the native species, Oregon GrapeĪlso blooming with clusters of bead-like yellow flowers, Mahonia is a holly-like evergreen stays beautiful all year round. If you’re willing to depart from the spindly yellow shrubs, you’ll have many more species of shrubs to plant instead of French or Scotch broom. You can even use its fruits called hips for their health benefits! More native options instead of invasive broom shrubs Size is very similar to that of broom, at most 3 to 5 feet tall (1 to 1.5 meters). sayi – This relative of dog-rose shares a delicious scent as it unfurls hundreds upon hundreds of beautiful pink flowers. In spring, clusters of flowers appear even before leaves do, giving the shrub a distinctive silhouette.Įach branch holds clusters of yellow pompoms, true cheerleaders for Spring to win the game against Winter! Trickster and pleaser, Prickly rose Kerria japonica – Together with Forsythia mentioned above, Kerria is probably the one that most resembles the invasive broom shrubs we’re trying to replace. Each cinquefoil flower has five perfectly shaped petals, whence the name comes from. Scented like honeysuckle, too! Care is identical to that of Japanese azalea Soft-hearted shrubby cinquefoilĭasiphora fruticosa (formerly Potentilla fruticosa) – Very hardy and boasting exceptional yellow blooming. Though leaves appear early on in Spring, the blooming covers everything in a blanket of gold that is truly magnificent. Rhododendron luteum – Not truly broom-like, but still bearing a massive cover of yellow flowers, this Azalea variety will shine for nearly a month. Covered with gold in spring, Yellow Azalea 5 Shrubs to plant instead of invasive Broom Amazing yellow blooms, Forsythiaįorsythia – Very early bloomers, among the first to greet us in Spring! Long, spindly sprigs laden with beautiful yellow blossoms – this is definitely the plant to send those invasive broom shrubs away! As an added benefit, you can even bundle twigs from the shrub to make garden brooms, too… Picture at top shows what such a shrub looks like in season, marvelous! Excellent look-alike to replace French broom. When not from America, the shrubs below don’t display aggressive invasive traits, so they’re safe for planting. For example, cinquefoil is native to Europe and Asia. Several among the following still do come from abroad. For example, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe may see their own environment endangered if these shrubs were planted there. Note: these same shrubs might be invasive on other continents, though. As such, they’re usually suitable for planting in your garden, in public spaces or in community gardens across the continent. The following shrubs are mostly native to North America. They’re even more beautiful, if you consider that planting them restores habitats and creates balance. Native alternatives exist to plant instead of invasive Scotch or French broom.
