Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Buttercup Bush, Texas Flowery Senna

Description:

A large shrub or small tree with small oval, dark green compound leaves, covered with clusters of yellow flowers in flushes throughout the year; prune to shape as a small accent tree, and to maintain density

Ornamental Features

Argentine Senna features showy corymbs of yellow pea-like flowers at the ends of the branches from late spring to early fall. Its attractive oval compound leaves remain dark green in colour throughout the year. The fruits are showy brown pods displayed from mid summer to early winter.

Landscape Attributes

Argentine Senna is a multi-stemmed evergreen perennial with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Argentine Senna is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Argentine Senna will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground. Although it is technically a woody plant, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as a perennial in our climate if planted outdoors over the winter, usually regrowing from its base (crown) the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under typical garden conditions. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. This species is not originally from North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.