Hardiness zones
Sunset 11-24
USDA 9 - 11
Landscape Use: Accent, informal hedge, background or screen planting, avoid use as formal hedge
Form & Character: Evergreen shrub, rounded to globose, Australian effect
Growth Habit: Moderate to 8' with nearly equal spread, wood brittle; easily maintained at 5-7'
Foliage/texture: Green, pinnately compound leaves, 2 to 5 pairs of narrow leaflets per leaf, medium fine texture
Flowers & fruits: 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 some other cassia species.
Seasonal color: Yellow in spring, less spectacular than other cassias because of masking by slightly wider leaflets.
Temperature: Cold tolerant to 22oF.
Light: Full sun only, looks rangy in shade.
Soil: All Senna species must have a well-drained soil for sustainable performance.
Watering: Deep infrequent irrigations
Pruning: Prune as necessary only after flowering. Strongly heading back in late spring will not only remove the unsightly bean pods, but will also rejuvenate and control shrub height.
Propagation: Seed, hot water soak or acid scarify.
Disease and pests: Root rot in poorly drained soils.
Additional comments: Note mature plant size and plant accordingly (it's a somewhat larger shrub than most realize). Like other sennas, it is easily pot-bound in containers and as such can appear sparsely foliated in the nursery. Although many sennas are very large shrubs, this is one for moderate-sized spaces where 'vanilla' desert landscaping is desired.