Acacia vestita

RHS Plant Profile

hairy wattle

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Other common names

hairy wattle, weeping boree

Shrubs

An evergreen shrub featuring soft, grey-green, feathery foliage and elegant arching branches. In late winter to spring, it bursts into clusters of bright golden-yellow, ball-shaped flowers that attract pollinators. Hardy and drought-tolerant, it thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it ideal for ornamental gardens and screening

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 10–20 years
Max Spread: 2.5-4 metres
Max Height: 2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H3
Drought Resistance: Yes

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Fabaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Columnar upright, Pendulous weeping
Genus: Acacia can be deciduous or evergreen trees, shrubs or climbers, with alternate, pinnately divided leaves or simple modified leaf-like stalks (phyllodes), and tiny, sometimes fragrant, flowers in short spikes, or in racemes or spikes of spherical heads
Name Status: Correct

How to Grow

Cultivation

Grow outdoors in neutral to acid well-drained soil in sheltered location with full sun to partial shade. Suits courtyard and urban gardens in milder locations, but will need winter protection during early years elsewhere. Under glass, grow in peat-free, ericaceous or loam-based compost in full light. Resents hard pruning

Propagation

Propagation is relatively easy by normal seed raising methods following pretreatment by soaking in boiling water or by scarification. Propagation from cuttings may also be successful

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
City and courtyard gardens
Mediterranean climate plants
Wildlife gardens

Pruning

pruning group 1 light trim after flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, fluted scale and mealybugs

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus