Acacia

Acacia is known in Australia as “wattle”, and florists know it as “Mimosa”. It is treasured for its yellow perfumed flowers which appear in late winter and spring.

This plant originated in Australia, so as you can imagine, it does well in warm, sunny conditions. A conservatory is ideal, or a sunny windowsill. During the warmer months, your Acacia can also be kept outside, choose a spot in full sun in the garden or on a sheltered patio. If you do keep your Acacia outside, it will need protection from the cold in the winter. Either bring your plant inside when temperatures begin to drop or add some horticulture fleece for frost protection.

How often you need to water will depend on where your plant is kept. Inside a house you will need to use about a jugful of water every week but make your own judgement by feeling the weight of the pot and by the season, if it’s hot weather the water will evaporate from the soil very quickly. Try feeling the weight when dry and when well-watered and then try and keep it half-way in between. Water from the top and let the excess drain out through the lightweight compost.

This is a fast-growing plant, so you may want to repot it next year. Choose a lime-free compost if you can. If you need to prune the plant into shape then you can cut it back after flowering.

Problem solving:

Acacia are not fully hardy in the UK and are likely to suffer if kept outside in the winter in most areas. It is best to bring your plant inside before the first frost. If your Acacia does suffer from frost damage, the damaged growth can be lightly trimmed back to the living wood.