Re: Under-cover Acacias

Einion, I don't blame you one bit taking the trouble you do to grow the Acacias, they are truly fascinating plants. Naturally I don't grow them under glass, or struggle with heavy frosts, so I can't really give you any help in those areas. What I can do is suggest that they would be adaptable as to potting mix....being nitrogen-fixing legumes they manage with many mediocre potting mixes in my experience, as long as it drains well.
Second I can maybe suggest some of my favourite small wattles, worth a try since they're so easy to raise from seed.
Acacia iteaphylla...to-die-for blue weeping foliage, yellow ball flowers in autumn [now for me] 2m.
A. howitii...... really a small tree but will take any amount of pruning. Beautiful weeping sweet smelling foliage.   
A. cognata....again a small tree, but there is a dwarf form of this. Weeping bright green bamboo-like foliage.
A. myrtifolia....most adaptable, grows in all states. 1-2m.
A. cardiophylla.....lovely feathery foliage and form.
All of these flower well and are perfumed, but I confess it's the interesting foliage and form that gets me in every time.
Chilterns have an amazing number of varieties available, and rather loosely claim that they can be grown "in a greenhouse anywhere". Maybe they can!
 
Plenty more where that came from!
Cheers,
Margaret.
 
Margaret and Peter Moir
Olive Hill Farm
Margaret River, Western Australia.
     www.wn.com.au/olivehill
----- Original Message -----
From: E*@aol.com
To: m*@ucdavis.edu
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2001 3:46 AM
Subject: Under-cover Acacias

It may seem slightly odd asking which Acacias will grow well under glass,
when I'm sure that many or most medit-planters do just that: grow their
plants in mediterranean climates. Sadly, I live on the coast of Wales, where
men are men and winters are (tragically) too cold & wet for many such plants
to survive outdoors. I do grow a very few species in the ground - Aa.
dealbata, boormanii and rubida. Others I've attempted have failed miserably.

Currently however, I'm very pleased with the way that a young plant I was
given last year of A.riceana has delighted in its conservatory abode, and I'm
now minded to try a few more. Are there any particular recommendations of
acacia species that are both amenable to life under glass and, equally
important, don't get too big? Two other queries. Firstly, my A.riceana is
currently a single stem over a foot in length: should I cut it back to
promote a more bushy habit? Secondly, what's the best type of medium to grow
acacias in, if they are in pots? Those acacias I've planted outdoors in the
past just take their chances with whatever soil they're in, to live or die
(usually the latter, with monotonous predictability).

Einion Hughes,
Rhyl, North Wales, UK.
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index