Hardiness zones
Sunset 11-24
USDA 9-11
Landscape Use: Spring accent, informal hedge, background or screen planting, avoid use as formal hedge
Form & Character: Dense evergreen shrub, rounded to globose, Australian effect, gray and cool
Growth Habit: Moderate to 10' with nearly equal spread, wood brittle; easily maintained at 5-7'
Foliage/texture: Incomplete leaf, silvery gray falcate phyllodes to 2-4" long sometimes on very young pl ants or deep within an older plant's canopy one will phyllodes with two small lamina appendages; medium texture.
Flowers & fruits: Sulfur yellow pea flowers, early spring on old wood, fruit are an ugly green then brown pod during spring and early summer and tend to be more masked by foliage canopy than other senna species.
Seasonal color: Sulfur yellow in early spring, less spectacular than other sennas because of phyllodes.
Temperature: Cold tolerant to 22oF.
Light: Full sun only, looks rangy in shade.
Soil: Must have well drained soil.
Watering: Deep infrequent irrigations. Over irrigation will stimulate excessive growth.
Pruning: Prune as necessary only after flowering to control size and remove rather unsightly seed pods. Also, severe renewal pruning to to 50% of height (leaving some phyllodes) will rejuvenate this shrub.
Propagation: Seed, hot water soak or acid scarify.
Disease and pests: Root rot in poorly drained and wet soils is common.
Additional comments: Remove unsightly bean pods as they form by lightly shearing. Note plant size and plant accordingly. Easily pot-bound in containers and can be sparsely foliated. Silver leaf senna is less vigorous that other sennas and is ideal for moderate size spaces where a glaucous appearance is desired.