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Genista from Notcutts - please help!

viatorviator Posts: 17
in Plants
Hi all,

I bought a Genista from Notcutts last year and i'm hoping to plant it in the border this Spring. The only problem is, i have no idea what species it is and therefore no idea on its height! The label on the pot says Genista maderensis (all of them said the same thing so it cant have been a mistake), but from following the QR code on the plastic tag, it says it is Genista lydia. Now, i cant find a huge amount of info on 'maderensis' but it says that in Madeira it can reach heights of 7m. Obviously, i doubt it will get that high here in the UK but i was thinking i should at least give it space for a potential 2m growth. However, 'lydia' apparently only gets to around 50cm. My plant is already 50cm in height and my mother has 2 from Notcutts too and they are at least 70cm (still in their original pots) and getting even bigger. To plant at the back of the border or the front?!?!

Also, the flower spikes are long which i think is more like 'maderensis' than 'lydia'.

I wondered if anyone reading this might have further info on genistas, or maybe even bought one from Notcutts like me and can further advise? Or fingers crossed Notcutts read this and can shed some light.

Any advice would be greatly received! Thanks in advance :)

Gill




Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Would it be a good idea to ask Notcutts?  send a photo I’m sure they’ll know what they sell. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    I haven't growm maderensis but that doesn't look like lydia


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    I've not grown this plant but from what I gather, 'Lydia' is a semi prostrate shrub suitable for low walls and suchlike... yours looks to me like the Madeira plant which is capable of growing quite large, I would allow for 3m x 3m, something like that... I note the flowers are borne terminally, at the end of the shoot which is typical for Genista tenera [Maderense]...
    East Anglia, England
  • InglezinhoInglezinho Posts: 568
    Genista (Broom) loves poor dry soil. Just neglect it and you will get a mass of flowers. "When the broom is out of flower, then is kissing out of fashion'.
    Everyone likes butterflies. Nobody likes caterpillars.
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    Inglezinho said:
    Genista (Broom) loves poor dry soil. Just neglect it and you will get a mass of flowers. "When the broom is out of flower, then is kissing out of fashion'.
    I thought that saying was about Gorse


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • viatorviator Posts: 17
    Hi everyone,

    Thanks for your replies. I already contacted Notcutts about the plant so im just awaiting a response. Hopefully they might be able to clear the issue up.

    Im still interested to hear from anyone who might have a similar species of Genista to me in their garden, and some advice on how it grows and care etc. From what i can tell, it grows pretty quick and needs regular pruning to keep its shape. Its quite woody though so im interested to hear about the correct methods of pruning.

    I think the saying is along the lines of "When gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of season" :)

    Thanks again!



  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    When gorse is out of season, kissing is out of reason. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I think it's likely that the sticker on the pot is right and the plastic label has got swapped at some stage.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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