Genista Lydia Lydian Broom

Genista Lydia, better known as Lydian broom, is a compact, floriferous yellow flowering shrub. Low growing and robust, this beautiful cultivar is grown for its bright clusters of vivid yellow blossoms that flower for the whole summer.
The alternate, simple, green leaves, evenly spread on arching branches, are completely upstaged by the profuse display of tiny, vibrant blossoms. Throughout the summer, this dwarf shrub is completely smothered by hundreds of dazzling, yellow, pea-like flowers. Borne in terminal clusters, the blossoms are neatly arranged on the trailing branches.
To ensure that Lydian broom is at its best in your garden, choose a spot in full sun, with poor, well-drained soil. This sturdy flowering shrub is quite versatile and adapts easily, and it’s one of the rare cultivars that prefer conditions that are usually considered less than ideal for the majority of other plants.
Naturally occurring in the eastern parts of the Balkans and Syria, Genista Lydia is fully hardy in Britain and Ireland. It won’t mind if the temperatures drop to -15 degrees, and it doesn’t require sheltering from frost or winds. In other words, there’s little that could bother this resilient, showy shrub. Its attractive features and extraordinary hardiness earned this cultivar the coveted Award of Garden Merit by Royal Horticultural Society.
With a slow growth rate and a sprawling, trailing habit, this compact shrub can grow to be around 50 centimetres high and up to 1 metre wide. Easy to care for, Lydian broom won’t mind if you neglect it, as it doesn’t tolerate hard pruning in the first place. Just make sure to remove any dead or damaged stems, to keep the shrub healthy and in great shape.
Genista Lydia offers a burst of colour in the summer, brimming with numerous bright yellow flowers. Not only that the profusion of blossoms add drama to your garden, they also provide this shrub with great texture. Best planted en masse, Lydian broom can be planted in beds and borders, on slopes (preferably rocky), or even used as a colourful, vivid ground cover plant. This tough, versatile shrub will adapt to any location in your garden, and offer spectacular summer interest without asking much in return.