Bloomin' Broom

Day 212: Invasive and pervasive, western Washington counties have all but given up on trying to eradicate Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) from public lands. The best "weed warriors" can hope to do is control any further spread into areas not already infested. I won't claim it's easy to pull. Even small plants have a taproot extending to China, but with a weed wrench, it's possible to remove an established plant with a stem as thick as a child's wrist. Ideally, this should be done in the spring before the seed pods have had a chance to dry. Like many other weeds, Broom's pods burst explosively, discharging seeds over a radius of several yards.

I have to admit I think this pest is pretty when viewed en masse as a rolling sea of yellow, and there are a couple of colour variations less often seen, most commonly the red and yellow petal arrangement shown on the left. Rarely, you may find a plant with purplish-mahogany lower petals and creamy upper ones, but these are invariably smaller blossoms and are a hybrid. The scent arising from a broom-covered embankment is unmistakable; not quite sweet, a little pungent, pleasant to some and offensive to others. In the '60s and early '70s, dwarf hybrids were commonly planted along the freeways. Many people objected to the use of the plant in this manner, citing allergies to the pollen until eventually, the practice was stopped. Drivers on I-5 may still see examples of the dwarf varieties here and there.