Yes, the bright yellow flowers of Scotch Broom along our highways may be pretty to look at, but maybe “ not all that glitters is gold” and we need to see beyond the apparent beauty of this ruthless and destructive invader.
“Tempted to add this shrub to your spring planting list? Beware: despite the tantalizing description and easy care, you will be inviting in one of the worst noxious weeds in the West.”
This quote comes from a web-site from the State of Washington, where Scotch Broom is classified as a class B noxious weed, illegal to buy and sell. Aggressively displacing local, native plants, cytisus scoparius creates mono-culture, and is especially destructive in Garry oak ecosystems of Vancouver Island.
If you are truly concerned for the balance of nature, you need to educate yourself, to be sure that what you are protecting is truly worth your time, effort, and ecology.
Dorota Smith, Parksville