Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca Selection

Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca 'Selection' is a delightful form of the glaucous coronilla, a small evergreen Mediterranean bush, selected by Minier nurseries for its pretty grey foliage and its endless, highly fragrant flowering, in a sunny yellow. Perfectly adapted to dry and hot climates, undemanding, low maintenance and hardy down to -12°C (10.4 °F), it forms a nice, dense ball, with a natural but neat appearance. This plant will make a sensation in a large pot on the terrace, to be protected in cold regions, and will be perfectly suited to a dry garden in mild climates.

Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca is a shrub of the fabaceae family, cousin of perennial peas, perfectly adapted to poor, dry and limestone soils. It is native to the Mediterranean basin, present in summer naturally in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sicily, Greece, Algeria and Morocco. In nature, it grows on the edge of woods and on limestone hillsides. The 'Selection' variety, still little known, offers a greyer foliage than the species, and its flowering is more spread out over time. It is a bush with a dense and rounded habit, about 1m (3 ft 4 in) high and 75cm (29.5 in) wide, with fairly rapid growth but a relatively short lifespan. The peak of flowering is in April-May, followed by sporadic re-flowering, with rain and mild temperatures, almost throughout the year. The Bright yellow and nectar-rich flowers are tightly packed together and grouped in circular inflorescences at the ends of the branches. Their sweet and floral fragrance perfumes a whole area of the garden. The evergreen foliage is composed of leaves divided into 2-3 pairs of thick, grey-green leaflets.

This attractive shrub can be used in groups, rockeries, in a yellow, blue and white border for example, in the company of blue rosemary, creeping Ceanothus, Caryopteris, Perovskia, Convolvulus cneorum, Scilla sibirica or muscari, but also on the edge of light undergrowth with Phlomis samia, periwinkles, Acanthus and Geranium macrorrhizum. It is perfectly adapted to drought and resistant to sea spray. It will excel in a rocky or sandy garden, where few plants will grow. Create an evergreen group to accompany your coronilla, by mixing the foliage and scents of lavender, silver artemisias, blue rosemary and thyme. Add Californian poppies, a creeping rose (Rosa Grouse) and dryland euphorbias with a compact conifer for some dynamism in your composition. You can plant it in the ground (with appropriate drainage) in many regions, however for the coldest climates, cultivation in large pots is better; then take particular care of drainage, and water abundantly but spaced in time, letting the substrate dry between waterings.