Very hardy plant with medium growth. It prefers full sunlight. This plant is suitable for large gardens, for creating shrubland and woods (several varieties together), for cultivation in pots, for large avenues and squares and for creating flowering hedges. This is a large shrub or small deciduous tree, typical of Mediterranean regions. It has an upright habit when young; later, the branches spread out and the plant takes on an almost always rounded, often picturesque appearance. Its heart-shaped leaves are bluish-green in color. Small lilac-pink flowers are clustered on the previous year’s branches, sometimes even on the trunk. Flowering begins in April, even on bare branches, and ends with the emergence of the first leaves. The flowers are followed by fruits in long pods, green when they appear, turning brown when ripe, which remain on the plants for months. It is one of the best species for calcareous and dry soils; furthermore, it withstands extreme temperatures: hot and dry summers, cold winters.