planting out acacia delbatia

[parkeey]

is it too early to plant out acicia delbata, i just got a 15ltr... its in the conservatory as i dont trust the weather lol

[bev]

you should be o.k now, but to be on the safe side you could wait another couple of weeks. mine is not that big, about 11 feet only planted out last year but seems to have survived o.k. i lost a bigger one last winter, not sure that it took a lower temperature, but 3 days of hoar frost burnt all the leaves so i pulled it out. i can't see that happening now, but with the weather the way it is, who knows?


cheers

lee

[bev]

you might want to move this topic to the main exotics forum, it will be seen by more people!



lee

[parkeey]

opps not sure how u move it ..

[Dave Brown]

opps not sure how u move it ..

You can't, but I have for you.

[metalhammer]

A word of warning considering Acacia dealbata.A work mate at a previous employer planted an Acacia dealbata in his garden,10years later it cost him £550 to have it taken down,it was 52 feet tall,had a spread of 25 feet & the trunk was 17" in diameter.Just think of it,it casts quite a lot of shade & is fairly shallow rooted,Mike said he couldn't grow anything with in 20 feet of it because the ground was so dry.

It's a fine plant if you have the room.

I made a similar mistake with Euclayptus nitens,9 years after planting it was 46 feet tall,18 feet across & had a trunk of 15" in diameter,cost me £150 to have it removed.


metalhammer.

[parkeey]

good job i have a chainsaw then ! haha wow it must be a real fast grower... well if i prune it every few seasons i think id be managable.

[Nigel Fear]

I have a three of them, and am considering taking one of them out, though might leave it another year yet, I agree with Metalhammer about the rate at which they grow, the oldest one is around 6 years old, and its massive, the trunk was as thick as my finger when planted, its now as thick as my waist!

They are lovely trees though and if you have the room for one with a mild climate go for it. You can of course lop them down to a manageable size and keep them more bushy in habit.

[metalhammer]

One other thing,what sort of low temperature do you get during the winter?.Last year a large one near here was killed at -11c.This one was over 40' tall.




metalhammer.

[parkeey]

ok kent so doubt get that cold, cor freezin!!

oh dear i think i need a bigger garden lol

[metalhammer]

Try Acacia pravissima,a much more restrained plant,gives a fantastic show every spring,mine has survived everything the weather can chuck at it.You'll need to train a leader up as it likes to flop,but a brilliant all round plant without the problems of size with dealbata




metalhammer.

[Vic]

ok kent so doubt get that cold, cor freezin!!

oh dear i think i need a bigger garden lol

Depends where you are in Kent and what sort of microclimate you have? I have failed getting dealbata established, and i have tried a couple of times now. It will get damaged at around -6 or -7c unless you have protection from the wind, even then expect damage when small.

I will not bother with dealbata again.

[metalhammer]

One you could try if space is limited is Acacia boormanii,it's reasonably hardy & isn't going to get big.Will need careful siting so it can benefit from shelter.


I have a plant of Acacia dealbata 'Gaulois Astier',this is a grafted French form,flowers very early,but got terribly burnt at -6c with a strong easterly wind.I have no idea how big this one grows as it's a grafted plant,ultimate size will depend on what root stock has been used.





metalhammer.

[bev]

they had dealbata 'argentea' in a big garden centre near me, but no info on the net although they do list another acacia with argentia name. i wonder if this is the hardier one that was mentioned a while back?

cheers


lee

[metalhammer]

Never heard of that one.No Acacia is going to be really hardy.My Acacia pravissima has taken a low of -10c here about 5 or 6 years back,took -9c last winter & has come through well.But a number of dealbata's on journey to work have succumbed this winter,I guess they were damaged last winter,never really recovered during our rather indifferent summer & the prolonged cold this winter has finished them.





metalhammer.