Butcher's Broom Care
Ruscus spp.
A slow-growing, evergreen ground cover shrub that is ideal for shade and dry conditions. Its leaf-like branches (cladodes) are used in the cut flower trade; direct sunlight yellows and scorches the plant.
Monthly care calendar
Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.
- Pruning: Remove old, yellowed or dried branches by cutting them at the base.
- General care: Female plants with red fruits are decorative in winter.
- Pruning: It is a good time for cleanup pruning.
- General care: Early spring is one of the best times to propagate by division.
- Frost risk: Protect newly planted seedlings from severe frosts.
- Watering: Only for newly planted seedlings, 5-10 L/week if it stays dry; reduce if there is rain.
- Fertilizing: Usually not needed. In very poor soils, a layer of compost may be spread; do not overapply.
- Pruning: Prune just before the shoots break. Because flowers form on this year's new shoots, hard pruning increases flowering.
- General care: New shoots (spear-like) begin to emerge from the soil. Propagation can be done by division.
- Pests & diseases: Protect the new shoots from snails.
- General care: Very small, inconspicuous flowers open in the middle of the leaf-like branches.
- General care: New shoots continue to grow.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- General care: It is one of the plants most tolerant of dry shade.
- Pests & diseases: Sunburn (yellowing) is the only major risk.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
- General care: Keep it in a position sheltered from midday sun; scorching at the leaf edges is a sign of burn.
- Watering: In midsummer, deep watering every 15-20 days is enough. Established plants (over 2 years old) do not need watering in most years. Water the area around the roots to a depth of 15-20 cm.
- Watering: In a long drought, water deeply once a month.
- General care: The fruits begin to ripen and color.
- General care: The red fruits become more prominent.
- General care: A suitable month for planting new seedlings.
- Frost risk: Protect newly planted seedlings during the first winter.
- Pruning: Pruning can be done to remove old and yellowed branches.
- General care: Evergreen leaves continue to lose water in winter. Water thoroughly once before the soil freezes.
The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.
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