Bladder senna (Colutea arborescens): fruits and care

Updated on 22 September 2026Published on 10 December 2019

Bladder-senna fruits, light pink balloons

Yellow pea flowers open from late spring to late summer, followed by pods inflated like tiny balloons on a deciduous shrub reaching 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 metres). Bladder-senna (Colutea arborescens) is grown for that spectacle, in hedges or as a standalone; give it full sun and light soil and it asks for almost nothing else.

Bladder-senna at a glance
Name	Colutea arborescens
Family	Fabaceae
Type	shrub
Height	6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 metres)
Exposure	full sun
Soil	ordinary but light
Foliage	deciduous
Flowering	late spring to late summer

In shrub hedges or as a standalone, it will fit right into you garden.

Planting bladder-senna

Yellow blooms of the Bladder-senna flower

Preferably in spring but planting in fall spell is also possible.

Follow our advice on how to plant a shrub

Pruning bladder-senna

It isn’t necessary to prune it.
If you wish to reduce or reshape the shrub, best wait for the blooming to have ended.

Caring for bladder-senna

Bladder-senna is quite spectacular because of the fruits it bears and the unique bearing it has.

Caring for and growing this shrub is rather easy.

It will do great both as a standalone and as part of a shrub bed.

Read also on shrubs:

Mature seed pods — The inflated pods are what make the shrub spectacular

A good tip about bladder-senna

Bladder-senna can make do with urban air constraints very well.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does bladder-senna flower?

Bladder-senna blooms over a long spell, from late spring right through to late summer. The yellow blooms are followed by the inflated pods the shrub is grown for. That long season is one reason it sits so well in a flowering shrub bed.

When is the best time to plant bladder-senna?

Spring is the preferred planting time, but an autumn planting works too. Choose a spot in full sun with ordinary, light soil. Following the usual method for planting a shrub is all that is needed.

Does bladder-senna need pruning?

No, pruning is not necessary at all for this shrub. If you do want to reduce its size or reshape it, wait until flowering has finished before cutting back. Left alone, it keeps the unique bearing that makes it so striking.

Can bladder-senna be grown in a town garden?

Yes, it copes very well with the air constraints of urban settings. Reaching 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 metres), it works either as a standalone specimen or within a shrub hedge. Care and growing are rather easy, which suits a low-maintenance city plot.

Image credits (edits Gaspard Lorthiois):
CC BY-NC 2.0: Harald Henkel
Pixabay: Hans Braxmeier

Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.

La page de Gaspard Lorthiois

Planting bladder-senna

Pruning bladder-senna

Caring for bladder-senna

A good tip about bladder-senna

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