Laburnum «Golden rain»

Laburnum «Golden rain» or golden chain / Laburnum anagyroides

A very decorative tree, up to 7 meters high, or a small shrub. At the time of flowering, its golden-yellow flowers in 30 cm racemes flow in abundance between the leaves, creating the illusion of a "golden rain" or waterfall, for which it received its second name.

Each flower, like all plants of the legume family, looks like a small moth. After such an enchanting flowering that occurs in June, fruits are formed - flat, with small wings, beans up to 8 cm long. Blooms in the second half of June-early July, about 20 days. The fruits ripen in the second half of September.

Buds broadly ovate, with 2-3 outer scales. The leaf arrangement is alternate. Leaves trifoliate with petiole and stipules, light green; leaves almost sessile. Flowers yellow, moth-like, in terminal, leafless, hanging or erect racemes; Calyx campanulate, about 5 mm long, 2-lipped, with 2 upper and 3 lower teeth; petals 2-3 cm long, free, sail somewhat longer than wings and boats; stamens 10, fused; ovary on a stalk, style with capitate stigma. Legumes are linear, flat, slightly winged, late opening, single-seed.

Bean inflorescences are not only decorative, their honey sweetish aroma attracts bees to the garden - this is an excellent honey plant, but we must not forget that all parts of the plant are poisonous.

Seeds are sown in the ground in the spring, after which friendly shoots appear after about a month. It grows quickly, enters early flowering time (at the age of 3-5 years). Seeds need to be scarified. Withstands temperature drops down to minus 25°С.

It looks good in single plantings against the background of a green lawn, in sparse groups.