Silver wattle
Acacia dealbata
Also called Mimosa (florist's), Blue wattle and Acacia dealbata
Garden plant · TreesThe florist's mimosa, and it flowers in FEBRUARY — which is the point of it and also the risk, because a hard frost takes the buds and sometimes the tree. It is invasive in the Mediterranean, South Africa and California.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 10 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Full sun, against a warm wall
- Feed
- Not needed
- Humidity
- Low
- Hardiness
- Half-hardy — a light frost RHS H3, to -5°C
- Size
- 12 m tall · 8 m across
- Lifecycle
- Tree
- Origin
- South-eastern Australia
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsNothing recorded against it
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Fat flower buds that have gone brown and papery without ever opening, after a hard night in January. The tree usually survives; that year's flowering does not, which is the gamble of growing it outdoors.Frosted buds · disorder
- A thicket of new shoots from the roots after the top was cut back or frosted. Cutting one down is how a single tree becomes twenty — which is also why it is listed as invasive where the climate suits it.Suckering after damage · disorder