Olaguina (Genista hispanica)

The flowers of the Genista hispanica are yellow

Those of us who live in an area where the climate is mild and where drought is a problem for a good part of the year, we often have trouble finding plants that are easy to care for as well as beautiful. But believe me if I tell you that with the Hispanic genista enjoying a healthy garden or patio will be an easy experience.

It does not grow much, which added to the fact that it produces flowers of a very striking yellow color, makes it very interesting. Discover it.

Origin and characteristics

Genista hispanica subsp occidentalis is an easy-to-care variety

Our protagonist it is a bushy and thorny plant native to the Mediterranean region both from the Iberian Peninsula and southern France whose scientific name is Hispanic genista. It is popularly known as olaguina, aliaga negral, algoma, cascabia or ulagiño.

Grows to a height of 30 to 60 centimeters, and has a hemispherical shape. The leaves are lanceolate, 6 to 1mm long and green. The flowers are yellow and sprout in spring. The fruit is a short curved legume 1 centimeter long.

What are their cares?

Genista hispanica is a very decorative plant

If you want to have a copy, we recommend that you provide it with the following care:

Location

Place your Hispanic genista outside, in full sun since it cannot live in semi-shadow.

Earth

  • Flower pot: universal growing medium (you can get it here) with perlite (for sale here).
  • Garden: grows on calcareous soils with good drainage.

Irrigation

It is a plant that resists drought well, since where it lives it does not rain much. For this reason, it is important not to water too much, and to let the soil dry before re-moistening it. To give you an idea, usually It should be watered about 2 times a week in summer and every 4-5 days the rest of the year.

Subscriber

Genista hispanica plant grows in open ground

From early spring to late summer (You can do it until the beginning of autumn if there are no frosts in your area or they are late) with ecological fertilizers such as guano (it is achieved here) once a month. In case of growing it in a pot, use liquid fertilizers so that the substrate does not lose the ability to filter water.

Multiplication

La Hispanic genista multiplies by seeds in spring. To do this you have to follow this step by step:

  1. The first thing to do is fill a 10,5cm diameter pot with universal growing medium.
  2. Then, it is watered thoroughly and a maximum of two seeds are placed on the surface.
  3. They are then covered with a thin layer of substrate.
  4. Finally, the pot is placed outside, in semi-shade, where it will give it about 4-5 hours of direct sunlight.

Thus, seeds will germinate in 3-4 weeks.

Pruning

Don't need it, but it is advisable to cut the dry, diseased or weak stems in order to keep it looking pretty.

Pests

Mealybugs affect Genista hispanica

It is very resistant, so much so that if it is well cared for you will not see it with pests. But if you water too little or do not fertilize it, you may be attacked mealybugs o aphids. The former will have a fluffy or limpet-like appearance, and you will find them on the most tender leaves and stems; the second ones are yellow, green or brown, they measure about 0,5cm and you will also find them in the same parts as the mealybugs, as well as in the flower buds.

Both can be removed by hand, or with a brush soaked in water.

Management

When overwatered, or if the leaves get wet when watered, the mushrooms will make their appearance. So if you see a white or gray powder or mold, stems that quickly blacken and if the soil is also very wet, treat it with fungicides as soon as possible following the directions specified on the package.

Rusticity

La Hispanic genista it is a very resistant plant, which supports well frosts down to -5ºC. Also, very hot summers (35-40ºC) do not harm you as long as you have a constant water supply.

What uses does it have?

It is used as an ornamental plant. Whether grown in a pot or in the garden, it looks perfect in any sunny corner. As we have seen, it is not very difficult to take care of, and in fact if the area in which you live is very cold in winter it can be protected indoors until spring returns.

Genista or broom: how to differentiate it?

The Genista hispanica flower is a very beautiful yellow color

For they cannot be differentiated because they are the same plant 🙂. Both terms -genista or broom- refer to a series of thorn bushes or bushes that do not exceed 2 meters in height, belonging to the botanical genus Genista. The Hispanic genista It is, therefore, one more type of broom.

Common names create a lot of confusion; hence it is important to learn scientific names since they are universal. You have more information about it at this article.

What did you think of Hispanic genista? Have you heard of her?


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.