Golden Wattle

Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is Australia's floral emblem and one of the quickest ways to put height, shade and winter colour into a bare garden. It reaches about 6m tall and 4m wide, and through late winter and early spring it carries dense, fragrant golden flower heads that read from the far end of the street. It grows on poor ground and shrugs off frost, drought and wind.

Why you'll love it

• Fast height where you need it. A young plant puts on roughly a metre a year early on, so a bare boundary feels private in three years rather than ten.
• Colour in the coldest months. The golden heads open when little else is doing anything, and they carry a soft honey scent on a warm winter day.
• Tough on difficult ground. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind tolerant and comfortable in poor soil, so it suits rural blocks and unimproved fill.
• It feeds birds and bees. The flowers draw native bees and butterflies, and the canopy gives small birds cover in an open garden.

Where it works best

Fast screening and privacy. Plant 3m apart in a single row. Closer than that and the lower branches shade each other out, leaving bare legs at eye level after a few years.

Windbreaks and rural boundaries. A double staggered row at 3m spacing filters wind instead of blocking it, which is what an exposed paddock edge needs. Solid barriers create turbulence on the sheltered side.

Shade and revegetation. A single specimen gives a light canopy within about five years, and because wattles fix nitrogen a block at 3m centres suits a stripped site.

Growing Golden Wattle in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. This is a plant of warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens, and it is genuinely frost hardy. It is not the pick for the wet tropics or humid coastal Queensland.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly and shallow soils suit it, and drainage is the only real requirement, so on clay plant on a raised mound. Avoid high phosphorus fertiliser, which damages wattle roots.

Water and feed. Weekly deep watering through the first summer, then rain will usually do. If the leaves pale, use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring at half rate.

Pruning. Tip prune from the first year to build a stronger, shorter trunk, and prune straight after flowering. Wattles do not reliably reshoot from bare old wood, so take small amounts often.

What to expect when it arrives

Golden Wattle is grown in six sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and single 300mm and 400mm plants. Because wattles resent root disturbance, a tube often overtakes a larger plant within three years, which makes tubes and 140mm packs the value choice for a windbreak.

Plants travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect a quiet first month, then strong growth through the first warm season, all covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Native plants with yellow flowers for Australian gardens
• Browse the full Australian native tree range
• Compare plants suited to windbreaks
• Fast growing shade trees

Common questions

How fast does Golden Wattle grow?

Around a metre a year for the first few seasons in a sunny, well drained spot, slowing as it nears its mature 6m. Growth is slower in cold districts and on heavy clay.

How long will it live?

Wattles are short lived by tree standards, commonly fifteen to thirty years. Use it as the fast layer while slower, longer lived trees establish behind it.

Will the roots lift paving?

The root system is shallow and spreading, so keep it at least 4m from paths, slabs and service lines. It suits open lawn and boundaries better than a tight courtyard.

Western Australia: this plant is listed as an environmental weed in WA, where it escapes from gardens into bushland. We do not recommend it for WA gardens. Please choose a local alternative.