Sure sign spring is here
There are lots of plants that shout that spring is on the way but the wattle has to be the one that makes the most noise with its bright sunshine yellow flowers. Wattle is the common name for Acacia, a large genus of native evergreen trees and shrubs found throughout Australia.
Indeed, there are some 1200 species of Acacia in Australia and many flower in late winter and spring. Wattle Day is celebrated on September 1 in Australia, which was a date chosen as it marks a good flowering of wattles.
Wattle Day has been a bit of a movable feast in Australia and has also waxed and waned in popularity. Many may recall celebrating Wattle Day at school on August 1. It stopped being a celebration for many years until the September 1 date was proclaimed in 1988 as wattle became the country’s official floral emblem.
The particular wattle used as Australia’s floral emblem is the golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha). Unfortunately this lovely wattle, which has very large round yellow blooms, has become weedy in some areas.
There are many wattles native to Tasmania including as species known as Wally’s wattle (A. pataczekii), which has the honour of being considered as the most frost-tolerant wattle.
Other wattles more commonly encountered include the stately blackwood wattle (A. melanoxylon), which has round balls of white flowers, and silver wattle (A. dealbata), which has ferny dark green leaves and yellow flowers.
If even reading about wattles has you reaching for the anti-histimines, you may be blaming the wrong plant for your spring hayfever. Although wattles are often considered to cause allergies, the flowers have heavy pollen, which is not widely dispersed by wind but rather is carried by insects, birds and small mammals.
The wind-borne pollen that brings on hayfever is more likely to be wafted from flowering grasses and deciduous trees. These plants produce copious amounts of pollen as they rely on the fickle wind to fertilise their flowers. As their flowers are not showy, they are overlooked while the brash wattle gets the blame.
SPEEDY GROWERS
Wattles are mostly valued as fast-growing small trees used to establish shelter plantings for new gardens or as nurse trees for slower growing trees. Most wattles are also bird and insect friendly due to their flowers and seeds.
Prickly, shrubby species are also good habitat for small birds.
Some wattles are also grown for their attractive and colourful leaves including the shrubby and dwarf Acacia cognata ‘Limelight’, which has narrow lime green leaves and a weeping habit. It is a great choice for a foliage contrast plant in the garden.
While many wattles are short-lived there are long-lived species including blackwood, which is a majestic and longlived tree. It is often seen as windbreak or boundary planting.
GROWING TIPS
Generally wattles are grown in full sun but tolerate part shade and are widely adaptable to a variety of soils, but best with good drainage. In areas with difficult soil conditions, look for local species. Once planted, wattles grow best with regular water but most are adaptable and drought tolerant once established. I established a shelterbelt of wattles during a drought by watering them with the kids’ bath water. The wattles took off and quickly gave us the windbreak we wanted despite the dry conditions.
Feed young plants in spring using fertiliser formulated for native plants. Established trees do not need additional fertiliser. Use leaf litter or fine gravel mulch around the base of the plant. Little pruning is needed but wattles can be pruned to shape and after flowering to reduce seeding, especially where the species may be weedy.