Habitat

• native to central and southern Europe
• hardy to zone 5, performs better from zone 6
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, .

Habit and Form

• 4' to 6' tall deciduous shrub
• shape is rounded to irregular
• fine textured and twiggy
• branches green and in sprays
• branching is upright to arching

Summer Foliage

• deciduous
• leaf arrangement alternate
• small trifoliate leaves
• upper leaves often with only 1 leaflet
• color is medium to bright green
• stems are green and more conspicuous than the foliage
• stems are angled and flexible

Autumn Foliage

• fall color not ornamentally important

Flowers

• blooms in May and into early June
• pea-like flowers are vivid yellow
• blooming is profuse and very showy

Fruit

• 1.5" to 2" pea-like pods
• not ornamentally significant

Bark

• stems are green year-round
• very old stems are gray-brown

Culture

• needs full sun
• best in dry, sand soils
• cut-back some growth after blooming

Landscape Use

• as an accent for stunning bloom
• for borders
• specimen
• along highways

Liabilities

• tends to be somewhat short-lived
• twig kill in severe winters
• tends to self-sow

ID Features

• year-round green stem color
• angled stems
• trifoliate leaves
• yellow pea-like flowers

Propagation

• by cuttings for cultivars
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

There are perhaps 100 or more cultivars in existence, but most are not available in the U.S. Listed below are some of the more commonly-available cultivars.

'Andreanus' - A bicolor with red and yellow petals. An upright form to 8' tall.

'Burkwoodii' - An upright form with red-brown flowers. A vigorous, bushy grower.

'Lena' - Red and yellow petals. Only 3' to 4' tall and wide. A C. dallimorei hybrid..

'Lilac Time' - Another C. dallimorei hybrid. A compact grower with reddish-pink and purple flowers.

'Minstead' - Small white flowers flushed with lilac and purple. Slender, arching habit.

'Moonlight' - Creamy-white or primrose flowers. Upright habit to 5' or 6' tall. Very common in the trade.

'Nova Scotia' - An extra-hardy form with yellow flowers.

'Pink Beauty' - The best pink-flowered selection.

'San Francisco' - Flowers are dark red.

'Stanford' - Flowers are orange and red, but appear orange from a distance.