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Shrubs

Genista pilosa

hairy broom

A deciduous, mat-forming shrub that reaches up to 50cm in height and spreads up to 1 metre. It has small, dark green leaves with silky-hairy undersides and produces golden-yellow, pea-like flowers from May to June

Other common names

hairy greenweed
trailing broom

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Ultimate height

0.1–0.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Exposed or Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Fabaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Matforming, Spreading branched
Genus: Genista are deciduous, sometimes spiny, shrubs or small trees with small, simple or trifoliate leaves and solitary, racemose or clustered, pea-like yellow flowers which are sometimes fragrant
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Europe

How to grow

Cultivation

Needs a sunny position and prefers well-drained, relatively poor soils

Propagation

Propagate by seed, or by semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Coastal
Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Ground cover

Pruning

Minimal pruning required, see pruning group 1 if necessary. Avoid cutting into old wood

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids and gall mites

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus in gardens where it is present but insufficient data to determine degree of susceptibility

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