Lydian broom
Genista lydia · Fabaceae
A low mound of arching, green, almost leafless stems, hidden in late spring by a sheet of brilliant yellow pea flowers.
- Size
- 24 in tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June
- Pets
- Toxic (mild)
- Job in a bed
- Drift
A bed built around lydian broom
The planner designed this bed around lydian broom when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why lydian broom stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Lydian broom × 1, yellow
- 2 October daphne × 8, pink
- 3 Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' × 11, pink
- 4 Brown-eyed Susan × 5, yellow
- 5 Wild quinine × 3, white
- 6 Sunset hyssop × 3, orange
- 7 Star of Persia × 2, purple
- 8 Ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' × 3, purple
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only open bowls. The others are dense clusters, daisies, flat plates and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- In the middle. At 24 in it is seen over Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' (8 in) in front of it.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
- Fine leaf against bold. Wild quinine is beside it: the strongest contrast of leaf there is.
Why now
- In flower for four weeks. From late May to mid June.
- Part of the bed's peak. With Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch', star of Persia and ornamental onion 'Purple Sensation' in late May: 4 kinds at once. No week has more.
Planned as an English border: 5 of the 6 groups (83%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Cheddar pinks 'Firewitch' and October daphne, recognised partners, are side by side. The back corners are held by brown-eyed Susan and wild quinine, the tallest plants on the plan.
The planner's own design check: 11 Excellent, 6 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where lydian broom goes in a border
At 24 in it belongs at the front of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is medium short (18 to 24 in).
Its job: drift. Planted in a small group of three or five, and repeated further along in the other number.
A small, well-behaved broom for the top of a wall or a dry bank, with none of the invasive habits of Scotch broom. The green stems give winter texture. Never prune into old wood.
- Cascading over walls
- Dry, sunny banks
- Rock and gravel gardens
What to plant with lydian broom
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- English lavender 'Hidcote': takes over when it finishes, flowering from late June; spires rising out of its mound; happy in the same dry soil.
- Blue fescue: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (10 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same dry soil.
- Rosemary: flowers first, early March to early May, so the spot is never empty; spires rising out of its mound; tall enough (4 ft) to stand behind it.
Questions about lydian broom
Does lydian broom need sun or shade?
Lydian broom grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does lydian broom grow in?
USDA zones 6 to 9. It is hardy to zone 6, which means it survives winter nights down to about 0 °F (−18 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does lydian broom flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late May to mid June. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 6 | Mid May to mid June |
|---|---|
| Zone 7 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 8 | Early May to early June |
| Zone 9 | Late April to late May |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should lydian broom be planted?
2½ ft (75 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3 ft (90 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 24 in (60 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many lydian broom plants do I need?
At 2½ ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 2 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 5 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 6 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as a group of three or five, with a second group further along in the other number.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is lydian broom poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: mild toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. The seeds and other parts can cause stomach upset if eaten.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like lydian broom?
These come closest to doing what lydian broom does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Deutzia 'Yuki Cherry Blossom': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 4 in shorter, 10 in narrower.
- Weigela 'Spilled Wine': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; belongs in the middle, not at the front, 4 in taller.
- Norway spruce 'Little Gem': the same job in a bed; 6 in shorter, grown for its leaves, not its flowers.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat lydian broom?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after lydian broom?
Lydian broom is over by mid June. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- English lavender 'Hidcote': from late June to late July, 18 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Black-eyed Susan: from mid July to mid September, 24 in tall.
- Butterfly weed: from late June to early August, 24 in tall.
What does lydian broom look like in winter?
Lydian broom drops its leaves and stands as bare branches. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
In these guides
- Salt-tolerant plants for roadsides and coasts
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Shrubs under 4 feet for small gardens
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 24 in (60 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 2½ ft (75 cm) apart
- Height class
- Medium short (18 to 24 in)
- Place in the bed
- Front
- Flowers
- Late May to mid June; open bowls; yellow
- Leaves
- Fine texture, deciduous; green
- Shape
- Mounding, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 6 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Comes from
- Balkans, Turkey and Syria
- Stands up to
- Drought, heat, salt
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.