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Spring Great Plants this Month

Coronilla valentina subsp.glauca ‘Citrina’

Sorry about the rather long title, but names mean everything in the plant world and in this instance ‘Citrina’ is the vital word because without it, you will get a plant which (in my opinion) bears rather unappealing chrome yellow flowers.

Coronilla valentina is a member of the pea family, a small evergreen (approx. 80cms), but it can reach well over a metre particularly if planted against a sunny wall. It is a gem (10 out of 10 says Bob Brown of Cotswold Garden Flowers!) and is definitely one of my ‘desert island disc’ plants. The palest yellow flowers are set off by grey-green foliage and have a subtle melliferous fragrance.

The month I most associate with this Coronilla is November, but this year mine waited until late winter and now it is in full flower and reminding me of the unpredictability and excitement of gardening. So you are unlikely to get flowers in the summer months, but this is a good time to take cuttings, for it is not a long lived plant (three to five years is what I would expect).

Do not hard prune Coronilla, and especially never during cold weather. It can appear rather straggly at times but be gentle with your secateurs or you will live to regret it.
Also makes a great specimen in a pot!

NB Louise has published a beautifully produced book of her plant profiles – A Plant for Each Week of the Year. It costs £9.99 inc P & P and is for sale in our online shop here.

More NB If you’d like a bit more gardening chitchat from the3growbags, please type your email address here and we’ll send you a new post every Saturday morning.

By the3growbags

We're three sisters who love gardening, plants and even the science of horticulture but we're not all experts. We'd love everyone even remotely interested in their gardens to be part of our blogsite.

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