Fringed wattle

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light shade, with fewer flowers and a looser shape.

Water

Water regularly while establishing. Once established, water deeply during prolonged dry spells; avoid constantly wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, preferably acidic to neutral. Avoid waterlogged ground and strongly alkaline soil.

Height

13-23 ft (4-7 m)

Spread

10-20 ft (3-6 m)

Flowers

Late winter to spring; small, fragrant, golden-yellow flower balls borne in abundant clusters.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow green phyllodes, which are flattened leaf stalks rather than true leaves, with fine hairs fringing their edges.

Growth

Fast

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   2.2 ft (0.66 m)

2. After 1 year

   7 ft (2.1 m)

3. After 2 years

   12 ft (3.6 m)

4. After 3 years

   17 ft (5.1 m)

5. After 5 years

   18 ft (5.5 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

Australia

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant in spring where frost is a concern, or autumn in mild climates, allowing room for the mature canopy.
• Water deeply through the first growing season, letting the surface soil dry between waterings.
• Apply an organic mulch, keeping it clear of the trunk.
• Avoid high-phosphorus fertilisers; use a low-phosphorus native-plant feed only if growth is poor.
• Shelter young plants from cold winds and protect them during frost.
• Stake only if needed in an exposed position, using flexible ties and removing support once roots are secure.

Pruning. Prune lightly immediately after flowering to shorten wayward shoots and encourage a denser canopy. Remove dead or damaged branches, but avoid hard cutting into old, leafless wood.

Late winter

Enjoy the flowers and protect young plants if frost is forecast.

Spring

Plant in frost-prone areas once severe frost has passed.

Spring

After flowering, lightly trim long shoots and remove damaged wood.

Summer

Water young plants deeply during dry weather and check that ties are not cutting into stems.

Autumn

Plant in mild climates and refresh mulch without covering the trunk base.

Winter

Keep container plants in a bright, frost-free place in cold climates, watering sparingly without letting the root ball dry out.

• Use as an informal evergreen screen where there is room for its broad canopy.
• Plant as a small flowering specimen against a dark fence or evergreen backdrop.
• Combine with bottlebrushes, grevilleas and native grasses in an Australian planting.
• Use at the back of a sunny mixed border for height, fine foliage and early-season colour.

Garden styles it suits: Australian native, Wildlife garden, Pollinator garden, Low-maintenance, Mediterranean and Dry gravel garden.

Plant it with: Crimson bottlebrush, Rosemary grevillea, Coastal rosemary, Spiny-headed mat-rush, Kangaroo paw and Flax lily.

Wildlife: Flowers provide pollen for bees and other insects. Dense branches offer shelter and potential nesting cover for small birds.

• Root rot in poorly drained soil: improve drainage before planting and avoid frequent watering of established plants.
• Frost damage to young shoots: choose a sheltered position, cover young plants during cold spells and wait until spring to remove damaged growth.
• Scale insects and associated sooty mould: check stems, encourage beneficial insects and treat accessible infestations with a suitable horticultural oil according to the label.
• Borers in stressed or damaged stems: maintain plant health, avoid trunk injuries and remove badly affected branches; seek arborist advice if the main trunk is affected.

Not known to be toxic to people, cats, dogs or horses, but species-specific safety information is limited. Do not treat the seeds, pods, foliage or bark as food or livestock feed.

Where it spreads. Listed as invasive in South Africa. It can escape cultivation by seed, so check local restrictions before planting and remove unwanted seedlings.

• White sallow wattle (Acacia floribunda)

  Has longer, narrow phyllodes and cream to pale-yellow cylindrical flower spikes, rather than the rounded golden flower heads of fringed wattle.

• Sticky wattle (Acacia howittii)

  Usually has shorter, broader phyllodes that feel sticky, often on distinctly weeping branches; fringed wattle has narrow phyllodes with finely hairy edges.

The species name fimbriata means fringed, referring to the fine hairs along the edges of the phyllodes.

Propagation. Grow from seed after carefully nicking the hard seed coat, or using a hot-water treatment, then soaking before sowing in a free-draining seed mix. Semi-ripe cuttings are possible but can be less reliable than seed.

Accepted botanical name

Acacia fimbriata

Native range

New South Wales and Queensland.

Measured

Average height 700 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.