The Spanish Broom Plant is a shrub that belongs to the Spartum genus, in the Fabaceae family.
If you are looking for a low-maintenance plant that will greatly improve the aesthetic quality of your very own garden, this is the plant you should have your eyes on!
The leaves of the plant are little and don’t particularly stand out, but when the plant flowers, the bloom is bright yellow and amazingly therapeutic to look at.
It can instantly improve a particularly blue day.
The shrub is native to the Iberian Peninsula. This part of Europe is frequently exposed to long periods of aridity, and the plant is naturally disposed to survive largely in rainless environments.
This makes the plant ideal for those who are looking for a low-effort plant to add to their collection.
More importantly, newbie plant parents have nothing to worry about at all!
The plant requires minimum care to thrive, so you should have no difficulty tending to it!
Table of Contents
Spanish Broom Plant Care
The Spanish Broom Plant can grow in almost all regular garden soils. Expose it to direct sunlight for a good part of the day and make sure that it grows in temperatures ranging from 60℉ to 75℉ (approximately 15℃ to 25℃).
Soil
Plant your Spanish Broom Plant in the regular soil in your garden. As long as you provide it with the other prerequisites, and prepare the soil with manure beforehand, your plant will face no issues.
However, the Spanish Broom Plant is not very sensitive about the soil it is planted in. So, as long as you provide some manure to your garden soil, the regular garden soil will work just fine.
Light
Place your Spanish broom plant in a location that receives plenty of direct natural light. In its natural habitat, it receives an extensive amount of sunlight, and in your garden too, you should aim at exposing it to direct sunlight.
Watering
Water your Spanish broom plant depending on the dryness of the soil. You want to avoid allowing it to dry out entirely. Try to keep the soil slightly moist at all times. Don’t leave the soil soggy, though, as this could prove detrimental for your Spanish broom plant.
The watering schedule that you will need to follow for this plant is nothing hectic at all! Just that, you should always go ahead and check the dryness of the soil before you water the plant.
Of course, as is the case with most similar plants, the Spanish Broom Plant needs more water during the hot summer months.
Increasing the frequency of watering the plant during summer and spring as compared to during winter, is, therefore, the way way to go.
Temperature
The Spanish Broom Plant thrives in moderate to warm temperatures and is not cold resistant. So maintaining the temperature between 60℉ to 75℉ (15℃ and 25℃) will be ideal for the plant to grow comfortably.
In terms of cold resistance, the Spanish Broom Plant falls short. So, allowing temperatures to drop too much might be the death knell for your plant.
A good rule of thumb would be to maintain the temperature between 60℉ to 75℉ (15℃ and 25℃). Ensure that your plant doesn’t have to struggle to survive in temperatures that will be any lower.
Humidity
The Spanish Broom Plant is especially aridity-resistant, and it has no hard and fast humidity requirements. This means that you won’t have to maintain a specific degree of relative humidity for this plant to thrive.
In fact, the Iberian Peninsula, the plant’s native enviroment, is prone to prolonged rainlessness in certain parts.
Fertilizer
A mineral fertilizer during spring would be a good supplement for the plant’s general health. You could also provide it with compost during the season of autumn.
Even though this plant is generally quite self-sufficient, feeding it will pose no major issues, even for newbie plant parents.
But we all want the best for our green family. So, what you could do is arrange for the soil to have sufficient manure, and prep it before planting the Spanish Broom.
During the autumn season, adding some compost will add to the natural goodness of the soil and will prove to be extremely helpful for your plant.
A mineral fertilizer during spring will also aid in the plant’s healthy growth and development—so you could definitely add that to the set of do-s!
Pruning
The best time to do this is at the beginning of winter as a lot of debris tend to collect on and around the plant by this time. Also, for the sake of adding aesthetic value to the plant, pruning slightly right after the plant flowers will be a good decision!
Planting
To plant the Spanish Broom in your garden, you can either get yourself some seeds and sow them during spring or summer, or you could simply snip off cuttings from a fully mature plant and plant them right into your garden.
Months of spring and summer are generally considered to be the Spanish Broom’s planting season, so make sure that you plant the Spanish Broom during this time.
Once again, don’t forget to add some manure and prepare garden soil before you do so!
Growth
The Spanish Broom plant grows to approximately 10 feet (120 inches) in height, and perceptible growth begins in the winter after it is sown. It can take between two to three years to mature and flower.
The Spanish Broom is known to be a shrub with great aesthetic value in gardens, especially in a xeric environment. In general, these plants can grow up to 6 to 10 feet (72 to 120 inches) in height.
After planting the Spanish Broom, you will begin observing visible growth during the winter months.
But for the shoot to develop fully, it could take the plant about an entire year. For the plant, growing and maturing fully in order to come to bloom can take up to three years.
Pests and Common Problems with the Spanish broom plant
The plant can be targeted by pests like Scotch Broom bruchids, aphids, mites, and black bugs. Apart from that, overwatering may pose a threat to the health of the roots of the plant and might prove lethal.
The Spanish Broom might be susceptible to attracting its fair share of bugs and pests. The ones that you must particularly keep an eye out for are aphids, black bugs, and mites.
Moreover, Scotch Broom bruchids can cause serious damage to the Spanish Bloom Plant, as these are pests that are specifically devoted to feeding on the pollen from the plant, along with its stems and leaves.
If you notice oblong eggs on the pods of the seeds of the plant, it is time for you to review the pest infestation in your plant, and act accordingly.
The plant is more or less hardy and well suited for an arid environment, but it can still suffer a lot if you leave it in soggy or overwatered soil.
While it wouldn’t be advisable to allow the soil to dry out entirely, you should also ensure that the water doesn’t stagnate around the roots.
The roots might suffocate due to the reduced arability of the overwatered soil, and it will slowly begin to start showing symptoms of exhaustion before experiencing dieback.
This happens because the plant is unable to breathe freely in the clogged environment.
In a worst-case scenario, overwatering the soil around the plant can even cause your plant’s death.
So if your precious Spanish Broom begins to experience signs of dieback, review your watering schedule immediately.
Frequently asked questions about the Spanish Broom plant
How much sun does a Spanish Broom Plant need?
The Spanish Broom is a plant that is very well adapted for arid regions that receive tons of direct sunlight and not nearly enough rainfall. Naturally, it can not just withstand direct sunlight for a good part of the day, but it is in fact advised that you arrange for full exposure to the sun. While a partial shade is going to be okay for the plant to grow in, it is heavily recommended that you don’t hold back in any way when it comes to providing natural light to your Spanish Broom Plant, more so during its growing season.
Are Spanish Broom seeds edible?
Unfortunately, Spanish Broom possesses some level of toxicity. The flowers of the plant, while absolutely stunning to look at, might trigger an allergic reaction in some people. So it would be best for you to steer clear from consuming Spanish Broom seeds as food.
Conclusion
That was more or less all the information you need to be able to tend to your very own Spanish Broom, right in the heart of your garden!
The plant is undemanding, and you couldn’t possibly go wrong with its care routine. It is an aridity-resistant hardy one that grows well in warm climates.
Propagating the Spanish Broom plant will also be a breeze!
The bloom is eye-catching and attractive, and the way I see it, there is no downside to having this one in your very own garden!
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.