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Care and Growth
of Drought-Tolerant
Flowering Acacia Trees
 There are many different types of acacia
trees. Most are able to live off rainfall alone in southern
California once they are established. Flower color range from
creamy white to bright yellow and sometimes in orange. Some trees
are deciduous, some are evergreen.
Mine has grown to about 20 feet tall. It has beautiful silvery gray
leaves on golden branches.
I
planted this acacia because it is drought tolerant, will cover the back
fence
(and my neighbor) and they bloom! Look at these beautiful giant
yellow flowers. They are actually lots of tiny puff balls which
smell wonderful too.
I have heavy clay, alkaline soil and no water. So I was
looking for something that fit into my little microclimate and Acacia
fit the bill. AND it blooms in
February!
My
tree was planted about two years ago. The first year I gave it
weekly regular watering, the second year,
maybe once a month during
summer, and now, I only have to give the tree a deep soak every few
months.
Here's a
photo of the tree just before all the blooms opened...
Here are a few photos of the Acacia after the flowers had fully opened
up.
They are so beautiful! Big, bright yellow flowers, and they smell
heavenly!
Since
the flowers are very small, they are attractive to beneficial insects
like the tiny parasitic wasps that eat whiteflies, and the tiny native
bees I see around.
Bees like the blooms too, I'm glad to have them around.
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