Lightwood

Lightwood (Acacia implexa) is the wattle to plant when a bare paddock or a new block needs shade fast. It reaches about 8m tall and 5m wide with an open, softly weeping canopy of sickle shaped foliage, and it puts on that height in years rather than decades. Cream flower heads open through summer, later than most wattles.

Why you'll love it

• Fast shade on a hard site. Poor soil, drought, heat and wind barely slow it, so it works on ground where a more precious tree would fail.
• Summer flowers, not winter. Cream heads through the warm months extend the wattle season and bring bees and butterflies in once spring is over.
• Birds move in. Dense young growth gives small birds cover, and the insect life it supports keeps them coming back.
• Widely adaptable. Frost hardy and at home from cool temperate through to arid districts, a wider range than most eastern natives manage.

Where it works best

Shade trees and windbreaks. Plant 4m apart for a windbreak row. At that spacing the canopies filter wind rather than forming a solid wall, which is what an exposed paddock actually needs.

Screening and privacy. The same 4m spacing gives a tall informal screen within four or five years. The canopy is open, so treat it as height and dappled cover rather than a solid fence.

Feature planting. A single specimen in a lawn shows off the weeping habit and pale trunk, and it is fast enough to make a new garden feel settled.

Growing lightwood in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and is frost hardy once through its first winter. Young plants in hard frosting districts want a season of shelter.

Soil. Almost anything, including gravel, sand and compacted clay. Like most wattles it fixes its own nitrogen, so rich soil and heavy feeding make growth soft.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first summer, then leave it to the weather. Skip high phosphorus fertilisers, which wattles resent.

Pruning and habit. Formative pruning in the first two years sets a clean trunk and strong branch structure. It suckers from the roots when they are cut, so keep it clear of ground you plan to trench or dig.

What to expect when it arrives

Lightwood is grown across seven sizes, from 140mm and 200mm packs through 250mm, 300mm and 400mm pots to 35L and 100L trees. The smaller sizes are the honest choice for a shelter belt, since a wattle this fast closes most of the gap on a bigger plant within two or three years.

Young plants may carry juvenile feathery leaves later replaced by the adult sickle shaped foliage, which is normal. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The acacia and wattle care guide
• Compare other Australian native trees
• Trees and shrubs for windbreaks
• Fast growing shade trees

Common questions

How fast does it grow?

Fast for a tree of this size. In a warm season with reasonable rain it gives useful shade three to four years from a small plant.

How far apart for a windbreak?

Four metres in a single row, or a staggered double row at the same spacing on a very exposed site. Closer planting crowds the canopies and leaves the lower trunks bare.

Will it sucker into the rest of the garden?

It can, if the roots are cut or disturbed. Keep it away from trenching and deep cultivation, and allow 3m to 4m of clearance from beds you work often.

How long does it live?

Like most fast wattles it is not a century tree. Expect roughly twenty to thirty useful years, which suits it to nurse planting while slower trees establish.