CYTISUS, OR HYBRID BROOMS

Evening Post, Issue 86, 8 October 1936, Page 28

CYTISUS, OR HYBRID BROOMS

Of outstanding merit and striking beauty are many of the recently-intro-duced hybrid brooms, or Cytisus, to give them their proper name. The plants are remarkably hardy and: may be grown successfully on 'hard clay banks where very few other shrubs will survive. They grow from 4 to 6 feet high and have pleasing combinations of colours in the flowers. Some of the more outstanding varieties are as follows:—

"Burkwoodii," the flowers of which are Venetian red with a gleam of gold. The growth is upright and the foliage a deep green; height up to 5 feet.

"Dorothy Walpole" has flowers of a rich velvety crimson and the plants are vigorous and free-flowering.

"Lilac Time," the flowers of which are smaller but produced with lavish profusion, the plants being smothered with blossoms of a pretty lilac-pink shade. This variety is somewhat dwarfer than the others, growing about 3 feet high.

"Geoffrey Skipworth" is a novelty of recent introduction. The catalogue description is: crimson-scarlet and gold, fading to pink with carmine backing.

"Lord Lambourne" is a vigorous and compact grower having masses of flowers with crimson-scarlet wings and pale cream standards —a very striking contrast.

"Marie Burkwood" is another new variety having yellow flowers flushed with dull rose and rich crimson lined with gold. The growth is compact and the flowers large.

"Donard's Seedling" is a variety of sturdy growth, producing its pink flowers very freely. The, colour of the flowers is quite distinct.

These brooms make excellent specimen plants for the centre of beds and as they have long tap roots they do pot impoverish the surrounding soil as so many shrubs do. They may also be planted in masses, making a wonderful display during the flowering season in October or November.