One man’s flower is another man’s weed, apparently.

Our neighborhood is alive right now with the fragrance of the lovely yellow-flowering Spanish broom – Spartium junceum L.. Here in Albuquerque, it’s lovingly cultivated for its lovely open green stems and wild yellow blooms. We’ve had one for several years on the mound in our front yard, next to the cactus. It’s always muddled along, but never really bloomed until this year, when we gave it its own dedicated drip water supply. Now it’s on fire.

It grows well here in gardens, but doesn’t spread much on its own. Not so elsewhere. Apparently in some wetter climates, Spanish broom is considered a Class A Weed.