How to Prune a Spanish Broom Plant

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Things You'll Need

  • Shears

  • Cloth

  • Alcohol

Spanish broom (Spartium junceum) is a Mediterranean perennial bush that grows to 10 feet tall. The branches on this evergreen develop upright and bear sparse foliage. In early spring, the shrub produces yellow flowers that drop an abundance of immature seedpods. The pods ripen by fall, pop open, and throw the seeds up to 12 feet to start new plants. Pruning is part of the care Spanish broom requires to remain young and productive.

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Step 1

Wipe the blades of your shears with a cloth dipped in alcohol. This treatment kills disease agents that may be on the tool and might infect the Spanish broom.

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Step 2

Thin overgrown Spanish broom in the dormant season over a four-year cycle. Cut 1/4 of the largest stems in the center of the plant to within 1 or 2 inches of the surface. The twigs regrow and produce more flowers than older branches.

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Step 3

Repeat pruning the next three dormant seasons, removing 1/4 of old, thick stems annually.

Step 4

Begin the pruning cycle again in the fifth year. Just before spring starts, cut back the first fourth of the stems you pruned four years earlier.

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