Scotch Broom
and how to remove it
Scotch Broom
This webpage has been placed in our “Looking Ahead” section because we believe this plant is a serious threat which requires our attention. Further down you will find information about how to pull and cut Scotch Broom and dispose of it.
​Click here: to go directly to
How to Remove Scotch Broom Section
and the Second Annual
Scotch Broom Roundup.
April 5 and 12, 2025​
To learn more about this invasive species and why it is so important to remove it from our properties and our neighbourhood and also learn how relatively easy it can be to make a difference, please read on.
Introducing the invasive Scotch Broom
Scotch Broom tolerates just about any soil condition. In part, because of their ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, this plant doesn’t depend on soil fertility and can grow in the poorest soils. They grow best in dry sandy soils in full sunlight which means Scotch Broom will easily invade open sites such as:
transportation corridors
utility rights-of-way
gravel pits
degraded pastures
logging roads
landings
roadsides
skid trails
machine-groomed areas
new subdivisions
vacant lots
hydro line corridors
harvested areas
disturbed, bare soil
Scotch Broom grows rapidly and can live for 10-15 years and commonly grows to a height of 1-2m. Although some plants have been observed well over 3m.
Life Cycle
Scotch broom has an aggressive root system that consists of a taproot that may extend .6m below ground as well as a large shallow lateral root system. Above ground the main trunks grow vertically and have a rounded woody-green-brownish look. Smaller secondary stems are green and have a distinctive star-shape (5 sided appearance) when cross-sectioned.
The plant’s very-small oval leaves are about 5 to 20 mm long and pointed,
and grow singly or in clusters that may have hairs surrounding the leaflets
Young plants usually do not flower until their third year. April to June is the peak flowering time. Flowers, on short stalks, are pea-like, bright yellow, sometimes with red or white markings in the centre.
Seed pods are green to yellowish brown, later turning black, flattened, 2.5 to 4 cm long, with hairy margins. Mature pods split open and spiral as they dry, ejecting 5 to 12 seeds per pod up to five metres away from the parent plant.
Each plant can produce up to 10,000 seeds per growing season that can survive in the top 6 cm of soil for 30 to 40 years and possibly up to 80 years. Thus each plant creates and maintains a long-lasting seed bank meaning that seedlings may germinate in extremely high densities.
As plants grow, the older inner stems become woody and turn yellow-brown when mature as they die-back. These plants are highly flammable.
Each flowering-bloom will become a seed pod. Mature plants produce up to 3500 seed pods, each pod containing 5–12 seeds that will eventually be released onto the ground and remain viable for up to 80 years.
An excellent diagram showing Scotch Broom Characteristics
Invasive? Yes, and its quite a story.
So whats the big deal about Scotch Broom? Well, looking back a few hundred years, it simply was not here in British Columbia. Humans introduced it in the mid 1800’s. A colourful character, Captain Walter Grant is famously blamed, in modern narratives, for introducing the plant in his garden in Sooke BC. And when he left a few years later, his neighbour rescued the three original plants ….etc. But that is just one tiny part of this story.
In those early days, there can be little doubt that there were many amateur-horticulturalists who found reasons to introduce this easy-to-grow invasive plant in new locations. Thus we cannot blame Captain Grant. Obviously, it was a number of well-meaning humans, behaving-collectively, as we so-often do, who imported and encouraged this invasive plant to take root and take root they did in a most spectacular way. Today, Scotch Broom now dominates all along North America’s west coast and up into southern and coastal British Columbia.
Originally, Scotch Broom was native to north Africa and parts of the Mediterranean and areas in Europe and this might give you some sense of it's resiliency to drought. Back in the mid 1800s it was already known to survive on sand dunes and other difficult terrain. It was being used for sand-dune-stabilization and ground water run-off control, not to mention in gardens in Canada and the USA. In short it was the tough, resilient, ground cover that seemed to be great in certain development schemes but the problem was that Scotch Broom could not really be contained because it is fundamentally invasive. Scotch Broom spreads effortlessly in areas that are exposed to sunshine and goes on to dominate over almost all low growing fauna.
In the early 1900’s, broom was being planted to prevent soil erosion along US Pacific Coast highways. Most thought it to be pretty in the spring a great idea.
​
As Scotch Broom spread locally on our south-west coastal areas , it quickly changed the appearance of our landscapes, particularly in April when spectacular masses of yellow-gold blooms exploded. It was in April that newspapers chronicled the “blaze of yellow glory” as an attractive natural feature and artists found themselves adding lavish brush strokes of yellowed pigment to paintings of our coastline and meadow landscapes. The springtime colour of Scotch Broom became a wonderful new tourist attraction and even mentioned in real estate advertisements.
However that honeymoon did not last long and, by the 1950’s, citizens and scientists were conveying a different narrative in the press. Although loved during its brief and beautiful display in April, Scotch Broom was, in reality, quickly displacing natural and indigenous plants. To this was added a growing recognition that it was highly flammable.
Over time our understandings grew as we discovered that the native plants that Scotch Broom was displacing was the natural food that our wildlife depended on. It was blocking new trees from growing, and rendered pastures unusable, and today continues to destroy the previously-existing natural balances in our landscapes.
Scotch Broom, is also known to cause allergic reactions that, during the two months when it is in bloom, can cause many to suffer headaches, breathing difficulties, burning eyes and more. Annually, these allergic reactions conditions can worsen as the Scotch Broom plants densify and spread.
And to top it off, Scotch Broom is so flammable that its presence accelerates forest fires because dense patches of Scotch Broom increase fire fuel loads. This can be highly-dangerous when growing near structures.
As these simple truths slowly emerged, public attitudes towards Scotch Broom began to change. Today most of us are reasonably aware, that Scotch Broom does not belong here and that it is a fast growing invasive that forms dense monocultures while, at the same time, removes other species from our landscapes. But by the time all this came to light Scotch Broom had covered a significant portion of Vancouver Island and our south-west coastal areas.
Looking Ahead
Leaving history aside, it is now more important to look ahead and develop a full understanding about what Scotch Broom is actually doing today.
​
Scotch broom produces a large number of seed-pods each year. The seeds, tolerate drought and cold and have a very long lifespan of 30-40, perhaps even 80 years.
​
Scotch Broom seeds germinate in a wide variety of conditions especially at nutrient poor sites which makes them more adaptable than native species.
​
Its roots host nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which helps the plant to establish in nutrient-poor soils.
While growing, it alters the soil chemistry by releasing chemicals, into the soil, that adversely impacts soil mycorrhizae and the growth of native plants.
​
Scotch Broom loses its leaves during dry conditions, however, because its stems are photosynthetic, it continues to grow throughout the year.
​​
It lacks predators. Because it is mildly toxic, it is unpalatable to livestock and definitely not a food source for native wildlife.
​
With all these competitive advantages, Scotch Broom continues to increase its range rapidly by displacing native species.
How About Climate Change?
Recent studies of Scotch Broom, have concluded that this invasive plant will likely be able to, not only withstand, but possibly thrive in the anticipated warmer-drier climate conditions that likely lie ahead.
It should do very well in grasslands, dry moss/lichen plant communities and sandy shoreline ecosystems on the South Coast of British Columbia.
Wild Fire
In recent years, wildfires in BC have not only dominated our summers but also caused dramatic damage and there is an attendant awareness and desire to act so as to reduce future incidents of wildfire.
Because the invasive plant, Scotch Broom is highly combustible, it needs to be addressed quickly in light of the fact that it is currently gaining more ground every year. It is not a native plant, it is an invasive plant that has become naturalized; we should be working to reduce its range and make sure it does not become permanently established.
We have seen wildfire here in Garden Bay and it can happen again. The next image is an acutal fire in 2008 which required both ground and air firefighting resources.
What can you do to help?
Just as it is critical to put a fire out when its small, it is just as critical that we prevent Scotch Broom from spreading any further into our community. So please join into the second annual.....
Scotch Broom Disposal Event
organized by Christine Alexander and Fire Chief Jim Cameron
April 5 and 12, 2025
On Saturday April 5 and 12, between noon and 3pm our Fire Chief, Jim Cameron will have the gate unlocked at the department's Training Facility located about 200 metres up the Pender Harbour Landfill Road. As you turn right to leave the road you will see a gate ahead and inside will be the dump area for your Scotch Broom. Jim says its a good-sized area, with plenty of room if your towing a trailer.​​​​​ Note: The actual burning of the broom will take place at a later date.
​
So, with two dates set for you to drop off, it gives everyone lots of time to start removing broom. Waiting until you see yellow blooms is a good idea but if you know what your doing, the truth is you can start pulling very small broom and cutting larger broom during our Fall-Winter-Spring wet weather. And, its fine to just pile your cut broom under a tree while waiting for the dump dates.
​
We highly recommend you watch the following short video created by Broombusters on Vancouver Island. They have been doing this for 15 years and their 7 minute video is well worth watching.
The upcoming Scotch Broom Removal Event, in April, provides you with a place to take your Scotch Broom for disposal. During the month of March we hope you will mobilize yourself and, perhaps with a few neighbours, try and get some Scotch Broom removed. You might start with your own property to get a feel for it and to train your eye to spot Scotch Broom. Looking aroung your neighbourhood for large clumps of Scotch Broom might be a good place to get organized with neighbours and see what you can accomplish as a team. Working on the roadside is potentially dangerous and requires your vigilance and it is very important to wear a safety vest to make youreslf highly visible. You can see in the videos from Broombusters what equipment is needed:
​
Here is a suggested list of tools and equipment:
Safety vest
Face mask (allergies?)
Long handled loppers
Pruning sheers
Small axe
Gloves and a hat.​
​
​
​
But How Do I Find Scotch Broom???
​
In the Spring you will easily discover Scotch Broom by its lovely yellow blossoms; Its everywhere that you might refer to as a sunny spot.
​To give you a quick start from the comfort of your home, you can do a search by logging onto Google Earth, then:
-
Navigate to Garden Bay.
-
Zoom in on the street-location you want to see (in front of your house for instance).
Below the navigation controls on the right, you'll see Pegman. Drag Pegman onto a road that you want to see. Earth will then show Street View imagery. By good fortune the imagery was last taken during April or June and so the Scotch Broom yellow blooms are very prominent.​​
​
A few Garden Bay examples are below. You can take a look at any street you wish and get a sense of where broom is hiding in plain view. Also Scotch Broom is well established on sunny trails and in developed areas and particularly in vacant lots. Now that you know where the broom is you can make plans to remove it.
Once you have seen a few Scotch Broom plants and cut or pulled a few up, you will find yourself seeing this invasive plant everywhere that the sunshine hits the earth.
​
HOW TO IDENTIFY RED HUCKLEBERRY VS SCOTCH BROOM
The most important message from broombusters.org is to “Cut Broom in Bloom”. If we heed this important advice, then, the main Scotch Broom removal work should always be done in April-early June while Scotch Broom is in bloom and certainly well-before seed pods develop. Doing so will mean Scotch Broom’s large yellow blooms make it easy to identify so that we can correctly remove and properly dispose of the broom plants before the seed pods develop.
The “Cut Broom in Bloom” call out is an excellent policy, but removing small Scotch Broom plants can also be done carefully at other times of the year. For instance if one finds some young Scotch Broom plants on a winter or early spring walk or while working in the garden, pulling small Scotch Broom plants by hand from the damp earth is quite easy to do, without disturbing the soil, and the disposal of these small plants is also easier to manage.
Small Scotch Broom plants are easy to pull up, however there is a real concern that you might accidentally pull other “native” plants.
For instance, the important and useful food source called, Red Huckleberry can, at times during the year when it is not bearing its red berries, look similar to and thus be misidentified as the invasive Scotch Broom.
Given the importance of Red Huckleberry as a food source for both wildlife and humans, It is very important that every effort be made to learn the differences between these two plants. Before these plants bloom the main differences are the the configuration of stems and branches and also the size and shape of their leaves.
Red Huckleberry has a pleasing and delicate posture with angled green stems. Their oval-rounded leaves are 3 cm long and much larger than broom leaves. Blooms are greenish-yellow, often with a lovely pink hue, that later develop into distinctive red berries.
Scotch Broom is a vertically-aggressively shrub with sharply up-angled ridged-stems with very small, oval-pointed leaves about 5 to 20 mm long.​
During winter the lack of leaves makes identification just a little bit harder so we have a couple of photos below to help you see the differences. Â Once you study these simple differences and apply this knowledge and pull a few Scotch Broom plants, you will have trained yourself.
Lets Say Goodbye to Scotch Broom
Be sure to watch the two Broombuster videos before going out to remove Scotch Broom.
In the Spring, when Scotch Broom is in bloom, thats the time to cut large broom at it’s base safely before the seed pods form. After the seed pods appear, do not disturb them so as to avoid speading seeds.
​
During our “Wet” weather over the Fall-Winter-earl Spring, whenever you see small Scotch Broom plants on a walk or a hike, take a bag and a pair of garden gloves with you. Spend a little time pulling them up from the moist soil. If we all start thinking of this as a civic duty, perhaps we will be able to get ahead of this invasive weed and make our community “Scotch-Broom-Free”.
​Wouldn’t it be great to walk through our community feeling that you’ve helped others? You might even rid your garden or landscape project of broom and establish a native plant restoration that’s fire resistant.
​
For the two months a year, when Scotch Broom is in bloom, many people may experienc allergic reactions such as headaches, breathing difficulties, burning eyes, etc. When these plants spread and become more dense, the allergic reactions can worsen. But when you remove Scotch Broom, you are helping to reverse that.
Best of all you will slowly be helping nature return to the natural balance that is so important to all plant life and wildlife and even we humans living in Garden Bay.
Here is our heartfelt thanks to all the folks at BroomBusters for providing so much helpful information. They have been working on the Scotch Broom proplem for 15 years and have shown great leadership for us all to follow. Find them at www.broombusters.org
Here is another short video set to music that you will likely watch more than once.
References
BroomBusters Cut Broom in Bloom: https://www.broombusters.org/
​
Scotch Broom by Metro Vancouver: https://metrovancouver.org/services/regional-planning/Documents/scotch-broom-best-management-practices.pdf
Scotch Broom Sweeps Through BC: Limited Options for BC Individuals to Enforce Invasive Plant Control: https:/allard.ubc.ca/about-us/blog/2023/scotch-broom-sweeps-through-bc-limited-options-bc-individuals-enforce-invasive-plant-control
​​
Invasive Plants of Southwestern B.C.
:https://www.cmnmaps.ca//shim/atlases/invasivespecies/_private/Scotchbroom.htm