Acacia

Acacia Overview

Acacia is a large genus containing over 1000 shrubs and tree species from the Fabaceae family. Some species are native to island locations such as Madagascar and Reunion island. Twelve are native to Asia and the remaining majority (over 900) native to Australasia. They are grown for their small flowers with a sweet scent and also have attractive foliage. These plants are mostly low maintenance, and established plants will only need a light prune after the flowers have gone over. Any suckers appearing at the base can be removed when spotted. Younger plants can be shaped in mid-spring [after the frosts]. A. dealbata and A. baileyana can be trained as standards [single, clear stems], while A. longifolia and A. melanoxylon are suitable to create multi-stemmed bushes. A. cultriformis, A. saligna and A. verticillata are more suitable if being grown as informal hedges as they will tolerate light clippings.