This small, dense, evergreen shrub brings winter flower to our Mediterranean plantings.
Coronilla valentina ssp. glauca is of borderline hardiness, though flourishes here in low rainfall, mild winters and well-drained conditions. A member of the pea family (Fabaceae), the fragrant, yellow, pea-like flowers are typical of the family, and are borne in axillary umbels of up to 14 individual flowers. The leaves comprise several obovate leaflets, and in the subspecies glauca are blue-green in colour, as opposed to the bright green leaves of the straight species. Producing flowers through winter into spring, and again in late summer, this is a valuable plant for a small, warm garden.