This is the Moon Wattle - Acacia semilunata - a really sweet smell and this one is the Sydney Golden Wattle and this is one of my childhood favourites - Acacia longifolia. For me, the sweet smell of wattle brings back memories of childhood bushwalks and if you want to bring that into your garden, here's a couple of beauties. Now the advantage of this is that they're tough and leathery structures that are very resistant to moisture loss, making them one of the most drought tolerant plants you can get for your garden.įragrance in flowers in one of those wonderfully evocative things. They're flattened leaf stalks called phyllodes. The leaves of most Acacia species are botanically not leaves at all. There are numerous varieties available from the weeping golden leaf of 'Lime Magic' to the bronze new growth of 'Copper Tips' or the twisty texture of 'Fettuccini.' It has feathery leaves that turn bright purple when there's some new growth and it adds a whole extra dimension to this plant.Īnother one to look for is the River Wattle - Acacia cognata ( Acacia cognata cv.). Many also have fabulous foliage - like this beautiful purple leaf form of the Cootamundra Wattle ( Acacia baileyana 'Purpurea'). It's not just the flowers that are the feature of Acacias. Most commonly, Acacia flowers are a bright sunshine yellow, but there are some elegant cream flowered species and even a red flowered form of Cinnamon Wattle - Acacia leprosa ( Acacia leprosa 'Scarlet Blaze'). It'll grow from Brisbane to Melbourne and when it's not in spectacular flower, the wonderfully weeping branches add further interest with their intriguing zig-zag pattern. If you're looking for something showy for your garden, I reckon the Zig-Zag Wattle ( Acacia macradenia) is a very underrated species. There are so many good reasons to grow a wattle in your garden. There are some species that grow into trees, but the majority of wattles are super-fast-growing shrubs and groundcovers. Here at the Australian Botanic Gardens Mount Annan, there are over 180 species planted. So why do we identify so much with wattles? Maybe it's because of approximately 1350 species worldwide, around 1000 of them are Australian. Acacia pycnantha is the Australian floral emblem and the wattle is reflected in the sporting colours of our nation - the colour of the baggy green and the guernsey of the Wallabies rugby team. Wattles or Acacias are arguably Australia's most iconic plants. Angus looks at some of our most emblematic garden plants
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