Senna

Senna corymbosa

Sennas are a beautiful evergreen addition to most any landscape. Drought and heat tolerance are at the top of the list of plant characteristics for most people these days, and this plant has plenty of both.

It thrives with only once a week watering, and will survive on much less. The gorgeous yellow flowers that cover Senna in summer are a bonus, since the vibrant green leaves are beautiful enough by themselves, all year round. As with most naturally-shrubby desert species, Senna can be trained into a small tree, if you prefer. Or, you can leave it bushy and full, since it has a naturally round, pleasing shape with absolutely no pruning whatsoever.

It can take the worst of our intense summer heat and sunlight, so if you have a spot with reflected heat where nothing else seems to grow, this is a good choice. It also takes the worst of our Central Texas cold snaps, and has survived in our demonstration garden at the Extension office through some uncommonly cold winters. For a shrub, it doesn’t take much space, only getting about 5 feet tall and wide.