Giant 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 February and March.

Acacia makes a beautiful evergreen shrub for the conservatory or greenhouse. It also makes an attractive small tree or shrub for sheltered gardens. It is hardy down to minus five degrees if planted out in the ground, but while the plant is in a pot do make sure the roots do not freeze.

How often you need to water will depend on where it 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 plant originated in Australia, so as you can imagine, it does well in full sun or part shade outside. A conservatory is ideal, but if you have no conservatory choose a large window or patio door.

This is a fast-growing plant, so you may want to repot it or plant it out later in the 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.

All parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten – so make sure you don’t have it near young children who are likely to put things in their mouths.