Dry, barren locations need not be left unplanted. The 'Vancouver Gold' broom, for example, feels right at home there. It is also easy to care for.
Ginster (Genista) was an integral part of farm and monastery gardens in past centuries. Today, on the other hand, the plants have become comparatively rare and are of secondary importance as garden shrubs. The broom, with its around 50 species, is considered to be easy to care for, undemanding and floriferous. The 'Vancouver Gold' broom (Genista pilosa 'Vancouver Gold') surprises with particularly lush, golden yellow flowers. Due to its low growth, the broom is also suitable for small gardens or flower pots. You can find out how to transform your garden into a golden carpet of flowers with the following care instructions.
Plant Description
The broom belongs to the legume family, a genus within the legume family. The deciduous dwarf shrub grows particularly compact and does not exceed a maximum of 40 centimeters. Younger branches are characterized by their hairiness. Older twigs have a rather knotty growth and show no thorns. The small deciduous leaves are arranged alternately. Silky hairs appear on the underside of the leaves. Therefore, the sand broom is also often referred to as hairy broom.
The term "gorse" (Planta Genista) has its origins in France in the 12th century. A representative of the Anjou-Plantagenêt family used to decorate his helmet with a sprig of gorse.
| Brush 'Vancouver Gold' (Genista pilosa 'Vancouver Gold') | |
|---|---|
| Growth Speed: | 5 cm in the year |
| Growth: | 10 - 30 cm |
| Growth: | 20 - 40 cm |
| Hardy: | Yes |
| Location: | Sun |
| Floor: | fresh to moist, humic, well-drained, slightly acidic to acidic |
Occurrences
The sand broom occurs in central, southern and western Europe. Broom grows in Germanymainly in the north and west of the country. There are no deposits to be found south of the Danube. Hairy broom prefers to grow on acidic soil and in sunny, dry locations such as forest edges, heathland or poor meadows.
Warning, poisonous!
All parts of the 'Vancouver Gold' broom are poisonous. The contained alkaloids therefore represent a danger for humans and pets. Symptoms of poisoning become noticeable after the consumption of a few seeds. Typical symptoms of poisoning are:
- nausea
- Indigestion
- accelerated heartbeat
- general weakness
- inner restlessness
However, the symptoms mentioned subside and there is no serious he alth hazard.
Besides its poisonous effect, gorse can also be used for medicinal purposes. For example, low-dose plant extracts are used to stabilize the circulatory system and to combat cardiac arrhythmias. However, dosing and taking should never be done on your own and should be left to the specialist.
An overview of different types of broom
In addition to the broom, there are other types of broom that, growing at different heights, can create an atmospheric picture in the garden bed.
❍ gorse
The original home of the stone broom is in western Asia. The richly flowering plant complements the sand broom well in the rock or heath garden. With a growth height of about half a meter, the stone broom is suitable as a background planting. Rock broom blooms at the same time as sand broom and also flowers yellow.
❍ Common broom
The European broom can grow up to two meters high. The golden yellow flowers appear in the months of May to June. This variety is good for hedging.
❍ Purple Broom
The purple broom from southern Europe conjures up a pretty contrast and Mediterranean flair. The plants grow to a height of around 60 centimeters and are very well suited to being kept in tubs.
When does the Vancouver Gold broom bloom?
The small, golden-yellow flowers of the 'Vancouver Gold' gorse appear in May. The lush blossoms along the low-lying shoots last about three to six weeks.
Find the right location
Because it is a low-growing broom that only increases in size by around five centimeters a year, the 'Vancouver Gold' broom does very well in rock gardens or onembankments are planted. The gorse will show off its lush flowers in a sunny to partially shaded location. A location that is too shady impairs growth and flowering.
It should be in a rather dry location. The sand broom does not tolerate wet feet. This would quickly lead to rotting of the roots. The "Vancouver Gold" broom is particularly effective in group plantings. A maximum of seven plants can be planted per square meter.
The ideal location in keywords:
- dry
- sunny
- warm
Selecting the ideal substrate
Normal garden soil is suitable for cultivating the 'Vancouver Gold' broom. The substrate should be light and loose. A permeable substrate ensures that irrigation water can drain off well and that waterlogging does not occur.
Keywords for the right substrate:
- loose
- permeable
- rather poor in nutrients
- sandy
By the way, the sand broom thrives particularly well on the soil of Brandenburg and the Lüneburg Heath.
When is the ideal planting time?
Ginster can be planted all year round, on all frost-free days. Ball plants root particularly well. With bare-rooted plants, it is often more problematic to plant them in the fall. So that these plants can grow well before winter, planting in spring or early summer is a good idea.
Planting gorse "Vancouver Gold" - step by step instructions
- Select location.
- Loosen substrate, clean and mix with compost.
- Dig a planting hole twice the size and width of the root ball.
- Water the root ball.
- Place plant.
- Fill substrate.
- Press the earth lightly.
- Moisten the soil around the plant. Don't get muddied!
Keep Sandgorse "Vancouver Gold" as a container plant
The compact growth makes the 'Vancouver Gold' broom an ideal container plant. The plants only grow 30 to 40 centimeters high, the same extent is also achieved in width. The plants only grow a few centimeters per year. However, you should not choose a planter that is too small. The gorse eventually wants to put out its taproots.
Ginster in buckets is particularly at risk of waterlogging. Therefore, a drainage of gravel or clay granules on the bottom of the pot should improve the permeability of the soil. The planter requiredalso a warm and sunny location. The plant in the bucket is watered regularly and more abundantly than outdoors. However, there must be no waterlogging.
Transplanting "Vancouver Gold" gorse
You should avoid transplanting the broom outdoors as far as possible, because the plants usually do not tolerate a change of location. If the roots are injured when digging up, this can mean the death sentence for the plant.
Tip: If it cannot be avoided and the broom has to be transplanted, you should be particularly careful with the roots. If possible, the roots should not be injured or torn off.
By the way, potted plants are transplanted when the plant is visibly too cramped and the roots are already bulging out of the edge of the pot.
Caring for "Vancouver Gold" gorse properly
Casting
You should hold back when watering. If the "Vancouver Gold" broom gets wet feet, it responds with a shorter flowering period and yellow foliage. During longer periods of drought, the plant is watered. However, watering in the blazing midday sun should be avoided. Otherwise you could burn the leaves and flowers. Instead, it is watered in the morning or evening hours. Broom needs relatively little water because it gets all the nutrients it needs from the soil through its long taproots.
Potted plants need watering more often. Here, too, it is essential to ensure that the water can drain off well and that the liquid does not accumulate in the planter.
Fertilize
Ginster requires comparatively few nutrients, it is practically self-sufficient. The taproots are equipped with nodule bacteria that convert nitrogen from the soil into fertilizer. The plants are usually sufficiently supplied with nutrients and do not need any additional fertilization. Over-fertilization leads to long, thin shoot tips.
If the plant is in a bucket, it tolerates sparingly dosed liquid fertilizer during the growing season.
Cut
You should be careful with cutting this low-growing broom. The plant grows a maximum of five centimeters a year, which actually rules out a radical pruning. In late autumn, however, you can cut off the tops of the plant. You can repeat this in late winter. Then the plant sprouts all the more luxuriantly and forms numerous flowers.
Wintering
If the sand gorse is in the open ground,it is considered conditionally hardy. Severe winters therefore require winter protection for the broom. This is less hardy than the widespread broom. You should therefore cover the plants with leaves or brushwood and wrap them with garden fleece.
Young plants and potted plants need reliable winter protection and must be protected from too much moisture.
How to propagate 'Vancouver Gold' gorse?
The 'Vancouver Gold' broom can be propagated by cuttings or seeds. When sowing, the success rate is significantly higher than when propagating cuttings.
❍ Propagation by seeds
You can get the seeds from existing plants. The seeds can be planted directly after harvest, in late summer. However, it is also possible to overwinter the seeds in a dry and cool place and sow them in the coming spring. This can be done directly outdoors from March. Then keep the seeds evenly moist, but not too wet. Then after about four weeks the first germs will appear. Once the young plants have developed well and reached a height of about ten centimetres, it is time to prick out the plants. Broom plants that have been grown in pots are now placed outdoors.
❍ Propagation by cuttings
The cuttings can be propagated in early summer or late autumn. Cut the cuttings to a length of 15 to 20 centimeters. In the lower third you have to remove the leaves from the cuttings and then place them in a planter filled with a mixture of potting soil and sand. A warm location is required. The substrate must not dry out, but it must not appear too wet either. If enough roots have formed after a few weeks, you can plant the plant in the desired location.