Description:

A tall, graceful shrub or small tree with long, pendulous branches that weep at the tips soft, gray-green foliage is held close to the stems; golden-yellow flowers held on loose racemes appear in spring; very adaptable, drought tolerant once established

Ornamental Features

Hairy Wattle is draped in stunning racemes of lightly-scented yellow ball-shaped flowers at the ends of the branches from early to mid spring. It has attractive grayish green foliage with hints of silver. The small narrow leaves are highly ornamental and remain grayish green throughout the winter. However, the fruit can be messy in the landscape and may require occasional clean-up. The smooth gray bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Hairy Wattle is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely form and gracefully arching branches. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Self-Seeding

Hairy Wattle is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Hairy Wattle will grow to be about 15 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in sandy soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America..