About
Colutea x media is a robust shrub that can reach heights of up to 3 meters, exhibiting a broad, rounded form. Its pinnate foliage displays a grey-green hue, while the flowers are a deep yellow with hints of coppery-orange. The distinctive, bladder-shaped pods can grow up to 8 centimeters in length and are accented with red, adding visual interest to the plant.
About the genus
Colutea consists of deciduous shrubs characterized by pinnate foliage. In summer, they produce short axillary racemes bearing pea-shaped flowers, which can be yellow or a deep orange hue. After flowering, these plants develop translucent, inflated pods.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 2.5-4 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 10-20 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden, Mediterranean climate plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Will grow in poor dry soil in exposed conditions, but likes full sun
- Pruning
- Pruning group 1
- Propagation
- Propagate by seed in a cold frame in autumn or spring or propagate by greenwood cuttings in early summer
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- Generally disease-free