Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Weekly
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering
Outdoor
Acacia Saligna
Bright yellow pompoms in spring over weeping grey-green foliage — the tree that holds the dunes.
Care Profile
A guide to ensuring your botanical companion thrives.
Origin
Australia
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Maintenance
Easy
Leaves that aren't leaves
From south-western Australia, it was planted heavily along North African coasts to fix dunes and slow the advance of sand.
What look like its leaves are phyllodes: flattened, widened leaf stalks that turn their edge to the midday sun and so lose far less water than a true leaf.
"Not leaves at all, but flattened stems."
01
Styling Tip 01
Stabilising sandy ground
Its dense, shallow root system makes it an excellent dune or bank stabiliser.
02
Styling Tip 02
Mind its spread
It self-seeds abundantly and can colonise open ground: watch for volunteer seedlings around the base.
03
Styling Tip 03
Short life, light pruning
It lives about twenty years: prune lightly, thin out deadwood, and plan to replace it after two decades.
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Origin
South America
Light
Full sun
Watering
Rarely
Care
Easy
Flowering
Flowering