Brisbane Golden Wattle

Brisbane Golden Wattle (Acacia fimbriata) is the tree to plant when you need a screen this year rather than in five years. It grows to about 6m tall and 4m wide with soft, fine, weeping foliage, and from late winter into spring it covers itself in fragrant golden ball flowers that pull in birds, bees and butterflies. Despite the name it is not a Queensland only plant: this eastern Australian wattle is frost hardy and grows well through subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens.

Why you'll love it

• Speed you can plan around. Few screening trees put on height as quickly. Planted 2m apart, a row screens usefully in its second and third year.
• Scent as well as colour. The golden flower balls are fragrant, so a tree near a path or window is noticed before it is seen.
• Genuinely undemanding soil. Poor soil tolerant and drought tolerant once established, so it grows on the thin, compacted ground left after building work.
• Wildlife value. An Australian native that feeds bees and butterflies at flowering and gives small birds dense cover the rest of the year.
• Handles wind and cold. Wind tolerant and frost hardy, so it suits a farm windbreak or an exposed boundary.

Where it works best

Fast screening and privacy. Plant 2m apart in a single row. The fine weeping foliage filters a view rather than forming a hard wall, which suits a boundary where you still want some light through.

Windbreaks and rural boundaries. A staggered double row at 2m spacing slows wind across an open block better than a solid barrier, which pushes turbulence over the top.

Informal hedging and features. It takes trimming and can be held at 3m to 4m with a cut after flowering, though it will never be a formal clipped hedge. A single tree also suits a bush style garden.

Growing Brisbane Golden Wattle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, part shade if that is what you have. Being frost hardy it handles cold southern and tableland winters as easily as a subtropical one.

Soil and water. Almost any soil that drains, though like most wattles it resents waterlogging, so on heavy clay plant on a raised mound. Deep soak weekly through the first summer to get roots down, then it rarely needs extra water outside a long dry spell.

Feeding and pruning. It fixes its own nitrogen, so skip rich manures and use a low phosphorus native fertiliser sparingly. Tip prune young plants to encourage low branching and trim lightly after flowering, but never cut hard into old bare wood, because wattles are reluctant to reshoot from it.

The honest drawback. Wattles are fast because they are short lived, and this one gives roughly 15 to 20 years. Plant slower, longer lived trees behind the wattle row so they take over as it declines.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 140mm and 200mm packs, single 300mm pots and advanced 45L stock. For a long boundary the small sizes are the value choice, and they catch up fast. The 300mm and 45L plants give height on day one.

Plants travel packed upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect visible new growth within four to six weeks in mild weather, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full Australian native range
• Compare fast growing screening plants
• Native plants with yellow flowers

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Two metres apart in a single row. Any tighter and the trees shade each other out at the base, which thins the screen exactly where you want it densest.

How long will it live?

Around 15 to 20 years. Use the wattle for fast cover and interplant something longer lived that will be established by the time the wattle needs replacing.

Will it survive frost in a southern garden?

Yes. It is frost hardy and suits cool temperate districts as well as warmer ones.