Mimosa Acacia dealbata yellow

Mimosa will thrive in the garden or in a planter. Read the maintenance tips about getting it through the winter and choose the best method to suit you.

Mimosa in the garden
Choose a sheltered spot in full sun or light shade - perhaps against a sunny wall. Make sure the root ball of the mimosa is moistened well. Prepare a large hole, loosen the soil with a fork and improve poor soil. Acacia will thrive in well-drained, fairly humus rich soil so add some potting compost to sandy soil and sharp sand with some potting compost to clay soil.

If you want to plant it in the garden, do this in the spring. This allows the plant to develop a decent root system and the mimosa will be better prepared for the winter. Mimosa in a planter Choose a large planter with holes in the base for your Acacia dealbata. Line the pot with bubble wrap to make it more frost resistant - make sure the water can still drain away.
Cover the bottom with gravel or clay pellets. Use potting compost with a mix of sharp sand. Stand the mimosa root ball at the correct depth, fill the pot with the compost mixture, press firmly down and water your mimosa generously.
Stand the planter in a sheltered spot in full sun (some shade is OK).

Water Acacai dealbata regularly - the soil can stay fairly moist. Do not overfeed - plants fed sparingly will survive better through the winter! The plants then form more compact tissue, which reduces the risk of frost damage.

Young plants are best supported with a sturdy cane.

After flowering this small tree can be cut back fairly hard, although this is not strictly necessary. If cut back by about 1/3 the acacia will branch out nicely. Prune any (frost damaged growth) dead wood in the spring. You can give your mimosa the appearance of a shrub by pruning the leading (top) shoots. Mimosa over the winter Mimosa can tolerate some frost but it is not entirely hardy. An adult mimosa in a sheltered spot in the garden can handle as low as -8° C any colder and there is a risk of frost damage. The leaves are likely to freeze and fall off, but new leaves will grow in the spring. Young plants need protection as they are more sensitive to frost.

If you are growing your Acacia dealbata in the garden, it is best to wrap it in several layers of garden fleece with a mulch of leaves around the base of the stem. Mimosa has a surface rooting habit which is easily susceptible to frost damage.

Mimosa is an early bloomer so be sure to unwrap it as soon as the first buds are showing.

For areas with long, cold winters it is advisable to overwinter the plant in a planter, in a frost-free area - move it into a light, cool place before the first frosts. Water less, but regularly - the root ball should not dry out.

Pot up if necessary in the spring, or just add a fresh layer of potting compost. Stand the mimosa outdoors again when all chance of frost is passed.

This evergreen tree from South Australia and Tasmania brings an exotic look to your garden. The delicate pinnate leaves are especially beautiful all year. The leaves stay green in the winter and remain on the plant. The flowers smell deliciously sweet.

In the garden this lovely tree, in European gardens, after 10 years can reach a height of 4 metres - in a planter this will be about 2.5 metres.

Acacia dealbata belongs in the Fabaceae or Leguminosae family as well as the sub-genre Mimosoidae.