Getting it to bloom

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

Also called Lydian broom, Lydia broom, Dwarf broom (Genista lydia).

More about lydian broom

About Lydian Broom

Genista lydia · also called Lydian broom, Lydia broom · flowering

Genista lydia is a low, arching deciduous shrub native to rocky hillsides of eastern Europe and western Asia Minor, prized for its cascading sprays of bright yellow, pea-like flowers in late spring and early summer. It is extremely tough — tolerating drought, poor soil, coastal exposure, and salt — and holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit. The most important care point is never to prune into old wood, as brooms cannot regenerate from bare stems. It contains quinolizidine alkaloids (including cytisine) typical of the legume family, which are mildly toxic to cats and dogs if ingested in significant quantities.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No regeneration after hard pruning: Cutting into old, bare wood — even by a few centimetres — results in dead stems rather than new growth. Trim back only into green, leafy wood immediately after flowering.

The reasons lydian broom isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming lydian 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 lydian 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 lydian broom to flower

Maximise sun. Give lydian 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 lydian broom and get the feeding right with the lydian 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

Lydian 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 lydian broom care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Lydian Broom blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my lydian broom flower?

Lydian 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 lydian broom bloom?

Give lydian 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 lydian broom normally bloom?