Common Names: Wattle, mimosa, Gum Arabic, Tamarisk, Babul, Indian Gum, Senegal, Cape Gum, Egyptian Thorn, Gum Acacia
Origin: Australasia, Africa
- Fine, feathery, tiny round or sickle shaped foliage
- Yellow or cream, pom-pom flowers
- Hardy evergreen
The most iconic Australian plant is the Acacia. Our nations floral emblem, with foliage of green and flowers of gold are the inspiration behind our nations colours (when it comes to sporting events at least!) and what better plant could represent us! Wattles grow all over Australia in dwarf forms to tall, towering trees, easily spotted throughout the ‘burbs and the landscape during late winter and early spring by their golden glow and delectable scent. But they’re not only native to Australia. Acacia are found in Africa as well and are just as iconic. Think of the large, flat topped trees silhouetted against a beautiful, hot African sunset and you’ll be thinking of an Acacia!
If you like Acacia as much as we do, join us in celebrating everything Wattle on Wattle Day, held on the 1st of September each year.
Plant Type: Tree, Shrub
Uses: Feature Tree, Medium Hedge, Evergreen Tree, Flowering Tree, Low Border
Garden Types: Pots & Containers, Native, Cottage, Coastal
Care
Sun Requirements: Mostly full sun but will easily tolerate positions of part or dappled shade.
Water Requirements: Low to moderate water requirements when young. Once established they are extremely drought hardy.
Soil Requirements: Slightly acidic, well drained to loamy clay soil.
Fertilizing: Will benefit from a native fertiliser once a year, low in phosphorous. Not necessarily required once established.
Pruning: Not required unless removing dead, dying or diseased wood. Some varieties can be shaped into a hedge, otherwise most grow in an elegant shape.
Tolerances: Drought, sun, poor soils, pollution, and heavy to light frost.
Diseases: Psyllids, Rust, Sooty Mold, Stem Borers
Key Features
Flower: Yellow or cream in colour. Elongated or pom-pom like flowers, the fluffy appearance given by their masses of stamen. Strong to light honeyed fragrance.
Foliage: Colour ranges from blue-silver, lime or dark olive green. Some new varieties have a coppery red or purple tinge. The foliage shape is dependent on the species. Some varieties such as the melanoxylon produce flattened modified leaves called phyllodes and modified or flattened stems called cladodes, which appear as very thick, sturdy ‘leaves’ protruding from the main stem. Phyllodes will often grow into bipinnate or fernlike foliage, or into sickle shaped leaves. Dwarf varieties such as cognata have a soft, fine and elongated lime green foliage, ideal for hedging.
Seed: Long pea pod shape, dries to brown, curled clusters with black seeds inside
Edible: Seeds of some varieties are eaten or used for flour
Toxicity: N/A
Attracts: Bees, Birds, Native Animals
Which Acacia To Choose?
There are so many varieties of Acacia available that it can be difficult to choose the right one for the right spot. We have organised them into their sizes and uses to better assist in picking the right one for your garden project.
Groundcover
Low growing, spreading varieties that cascade down retaining walls and cover unsightly garden beds. Unlike more herbaceous groundcovers, low growing Acacia‘s will still have some significant height to them, usually around 30cm of height.
Feature
Acacia make awesome evergreen feature or specimen plants with their soft, feathery foliage or masses of fragrant flowers. Here we have selected both low growing potted and small garden specimens as well as tall, handsome feature trees.
Low to Medium Hedging
We recommend Acacia quite regularly for low to medium hedging as they are a very resilient and hardy plant with more and more new varieties coming onto the market that require almost no maintenance. Plus they have gorgeous foliage, perfect for down driveways and paths as they are so soft to brush past.
Hedging & Screening
If you’re sick of the same old hedging that everyone has, why not go for something different and just as hardy! Acacia are wonderful wind breaks, screens and hedging with lots of different foliage types and habits to suit any location.
Tree
Are you after a specimen or filler tree in your urban or country garden? There will be an Acacia for you! Acacia tree forms come in a variety of habits, foliage and flower types so there is sure to be one to suit your needs.
