How to Grow Texas Broom

Texas broom, commonly known as broomweed or snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh) Britton & Rusby or Xanthocephalum sarothrae), grows wild in Texas and other western states. It reaches heights up to 3 feet and spreads to the same width, with turpentine-scented 1 1/2-inch thready leaves and tiny yellow flowers that festoon the tips of the branches in clusters from late summer through autumn. Broomweed was used by early settlers to make brooms and ignite fires, because its resin-rich wood is flammable. It is perennial in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 9.

Broomweed seeds
Rake
Watering can or hose
Sand
Gravel

Instructions

- 1
  Select a location for broomweed in full sun with light, gravelly soil that drains quickly. Sow the seeds in autumn in the location where they are to grow, since they have deep taproots and don’t transplant well.
- 2
  Pull any weeds on the site and rake the soil so that it is loosened to a depth of about 1 inch. If the soil feels dry, moisten it enough so that it is lightly damp but not soggy.
- 3
  Mix your broomweed seeds with sand at a rate of one part seeds to four parts sand. Scatter the seeds and sand mix evenly over the surface of the soil. Press the seeds into that surface, but don’t cover them, because they germinate best when exposed to light.
- 4
  Keep the soil damp but not soggy until the seeds germinate, which can take four to six months, and will probably occur in the spring. Thin the seedlings to stand about 3 feet apart.
- 5
  Mulch the plants with 2 inches of gravel, once they are well established, to keep down weeds. Because it is a wildflower, broomweed shouldn't require other care.

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