Cytisus scoparius "Scotch Broom"

Was out at Lowe's (my home away from home). They had some nice specimens of Cstisu scoparius or Scotch Broom ( really don't like the name Scotch Broom, it sounds like what Grandma used on Grampa when he'd been in the bottle too much, which was a lot!). I prefer Scottish Broom. Have any of our UK (esp. Scottish) members tried to bonsai this?

I would like to start one or two outside and possibly bonsai some. My Scottish roots are through Clan Forbes and their clan plant is the Scottish Broom.

Thanks,

forbey

Hi Jay, hope you don't mind me cutting in on this as I'm neither from the UK, nor am I Scottish, but I am familiar with the Scotch Broom. It is, and rightfully so, list as a USDA invasive plant. Here in SW Oregon the hillsides are full of it and the splash of yellow flowers in spring/earlysummer, depending on elevation, is beautiful. Property owners fight the stuff constantly and won't have much good to say about its ability to survive the most adverse conditions. I don't let that deter me one iota from capturing a few to bonsai. The growth is straight stick stemmy, with a canopy held aloft on even twiggier branches. It's very airy and wispy in the wild, but the bare red stems in winter are a fabulous sight. Naturally, clump style comes to mind. The trunks rarely exceed 1", but I've found specimens composed of bundles of fused trunks 3"-4" in diameter, unfortunately so infused into the rocks and firma that I've not wanted to disturb them, but chose rather to gather small singles and fuse them together myself. I have some I'm reducing back in size by back budding and chopping. So far they've survived all ill intent except being cut below the lowest live branch. They give up the ghost if you cut too much at one time. That's the wild stuff. What they sell at Lowes is probably a domesticated variety and may be more user friendly, but I'll guarantee you won't find it at Lowes around this neighborhood.

I know it won't help much, but:

When in my early twenties, I was invited for dinner to a teacher's hoos somewhere around dundee, and instead of a wee dram, he served us some home-made broom wine; I refrained from laughing, and tasted it. That stuff was great! Well-balanced in alcohol and flavour, it was astonishingly delicious. Since, i've tried "dandelion wine" and "berberis wine", made from fresh flowers left to fernet in water without alcohol, and it's really wonderful.

I've found these recipes in English for dandelion wine, but in the one I know that is made in france, people don't even add yeast, and after a couple of weeks, it gives a 15-18 ° liquor. It works with almost all wild flowers, and probably with broom too, but there aren't many around.

Back to broom as bonsaï : er... why don't you try to make broom wine from it instead ?...