Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Ashy Broom bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Ashy Broom, Grey Broom, Cinerous Broom (Genista cinerea).

More about ashy broom

About Ashy Broom

Genista cinerea · also called Ashy Broom, Grey Broom · flowering

Ashy broom is a deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub native to the western Mediterranean, from Spain and southern France to northwest Africa. It thrives in full sun on fast-draining, poor to moderately fertile soils and is highly drought-tolerant once established, making it ideal for dry, sunny borders or gravel gardens. The most important care fact is to avoid hard pruning into old wood — trim only lightly after flowering to keep a tidy shape, as brooms resent cutting back to bare stems. Genista species contain quinolizidine alkaloids (cytisine) and are considered toxic to dogs and cats if ingested.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Die-back after hard pruning: Brooms produce new growth only from green wood — cutting back into old, bare stems almost always causes branch death or kills the plant entirely. Trim lightly immediately after flowering, removing only the flowered tips.

The reasons ashy broom isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming ashy broom traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding ashy broom a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get ashy broom to flower

Maximise sun. Give ashy broom the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for ashy broom and get the feeding right with the ashy broom fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Ashy Broom flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full ashy broom care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Ashy Broom blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my ashy broom flower?

Ashy Broom blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make ashy broom bloom?

Give ashy broom the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does ashy broom normally bloom?