Cootamundra Wattle

Cootamundra Wattle (Acacia baileyana) is the wattle people picture when they think of winter in southern Australia: a broad, open crowned tree to about 6m tall and 5m wide, carrying feathery silver blue foliage all year and then covering itself in fragrant golden flower through late winter. It grows fast, flowers young and asks almost nothing of the soil. It is also short lived and has a weed history outside its home range, and both are worth understanding before you plant one.

Why you'll love it

• Silver blue foliage every day of the year. The flowers are the event, but the fine ferny grey foliage is what makes it useful as contrast against green gardens.
• Colour when nothing else is working. Heavy golden flowering through the coldest, greyest weeks of the year, with a soft honey scent.
• Fast, and quick to flower. It usually flowers within two to three years of planting, unusually quick for a tree this size.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind tolerant and happy in poor soil, so it suits cold inland districts, Mediterranean climates and dry country where the choice is limited.
• A magnet for wildlife. The flowers bring bees and native pollinators in numbers.

Where it works best

Fast informal screening. Plant 3m apart for a screen that closes in a few years. The canopy is open rather than solid, so it filters a view rather than blocking it.

Windbreaks and rural boundaries. A staggered row at 3m spacing takes the sting out of wind on an exposed paddock edge, and it establishes on ground too poor for most trees.

Feature and shade planting. A single tree in a lawn gives light dappled shade, and in flower it holds the whole garden.

Growing Cootamundra Wattle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi arid gardens, and it is properly frost hardy, so the tablelands, inland districts and southern gardens all work. It is not a plant for tropical and subtropical humidity.

Soil. Poor soil is fine. Drainage is not optional. Wattles resent wet feet, so avoid low spots and heavy clay, and plant on a raised mound if you have no choice.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Do not use standard garden fertiliser. Like most wattles it is sensitive to phosphorus, so choose a native specific low phosphorus product in early spring, or nothing at all.

Pruning and lifespan. Prune lightly after flowering to keep the crown compact and reduce seed set. Never cut into bare old wood, because it does not reliably reshoot. Expect 15 to 30 years, which is normal for the species.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in 200mm packs of six, 250mm packs of three and 25L. The smaller sizes are the ones to buy for a screen or windbreak, because young wattles establish faster than advanced stock and generally overtake it within two seasons. The 25L suits a single feature tree.

Plants are packed to travel upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full Australian native range
• Compare native trees for screening and shade
• Feature trees for a focal point
• Coast Banksia, a longer lived native

Common questions

How long does it live?

Usually 15 to 30 years, which is short for a tree. Plant it where you want fast results, and pair it with something longer lived that can take over later.

Is it a weed?

In its home range around Cootamundra it is a local native. Outside that range it has naturalised widely and is listed as an environmental weed in several states. Avoid planting where seed can escape into bushland.

Will it grow in the tropics?

Not well. It is built for cooler, drier southern conditions. In humid gardens it tends to be short lived and struggles with fungal disease, so choose a wattle suited to your local climate.