Cytisus scoparius La Coquette

Cytisus scoparius 'La Coquette' is a vigorous variety of broom that will charm with its abundant, well-coloured and pleasantly scented spring flowering. The bush forms a beautiful upright and airy clump, covered with pale-yellow and dark pink bi-colour flowers. Fast-growing, broom can be grown in a large container or in the ground, in light, sandy, and poor soil, without limestone. Plant it in a large rockery, in a bed, or on a sunny slope.

Cytisus scoparius 'La Coquette' belongs to the large Fabaceae family. Like all brooms, it comes from Cytisus scoparius, a hardy but short-lived shrub, native to Central Europe (up to Ukraine) and Eastern Europe, widespread to North Africa. This species is found in dry places, on rather acidic and siliceous (sandy) soils. 

'La Coquette' measures on average 1.5m (5ft) in height with a spread of 1m (3ft) at maturity, depending on growing conditions. It develops a bushy, erect, fairly dense habit, but with a light appearance, due to its thin stems and small trifoliate leaves. The flexible, arched, green stems bear simple, alternate, narrow leaves, 5 to 10mm (0.2 to 0.4in) long. They are deciduous and fall quite quickly in spring. Flowering occurs in May-June, and takes the form of pleasantly fragrant papilionaceous flowers, 2cm (1in) long. These pea-like flowers are yellow with yellow-orange wings tinged with pink, and a cream-yellow standard with a dark pink reverse. The overall colour, seen from a distance, is a mix of orange and yellow. The flowers bloom in clusters at the top of the branches. Pollinated by bees, they give way to flat and black pod-shaped fruits. The fruit pods can stain whatever they fall on, so prune the bush after flowering. The lifespan of this plant is quite short, around 5 to 8 years.

It deserves to be seen in spring. Plant it near the house, on a large slope, or in the centre of a shrub bed. It can be planted with numerous foliage shrubs, spring-flowering, or staggered-flowering plants: a tree peony, a small-sized lilac (Syringa microphylla 'Superba'), baptisias, an abelia, or a small white spirea (Spiraea 'Grefsheim'), whose flowering will temper its abundance of multicoloured flowers. Deciduous or evergreen small euonymus, shrubby salvias, and perennial grasses create beautiful maintenance-free flower scenes in a wild garden.

Tips: After pruning, use the cut stems to make good garden brooms.