There are a good thousand species of mimosas. These shrubs of the kind Acacia and the family of Fabaceae are, for the vast majority of them, from Australia. They are very decorative. They are cultivated today in all regions of the world. The various most popular species measure between 4 and 10 meters in height. All are undeniably beautiful with their light evergreensometimes velvety, which comes in countless shades of green, and their flowers in clusters which illuminate the garden with their golden yellow color. Let’s see when to plant this fast-growing chilly shrub and how to care for it to take full advantage of its spectacular flowering.
Planter un Mimosa
Spring and autumn are the two best seasons to plant a Mimosa, and more precisely in March April or in September October.
Planting a Mimosa in the ground proceeds as follows.
- Dig a hole three times larger than the clod to leave enough room for the roots of the Mimosa so that they can spread out as they see fit.
- Remove the shrub from its container.
- Hydrate the root ball by immersing it for 10 to 15 minutes in a large bucket of water.
- Place the Mimosa in the center of the planting hole.
- Fill the hole with the extracted soil after mixing it with:
- drainage elements such as clay pebbles, gravel or pebbles,
- heather earth,
- planting soil.
- Make sure the grafting point is flush with ground level. It should never be buried.
- Install a stake, taking care not to damage the roots and tie the Mimosa with raffia without tightening the trunk too much.
- Pack the soil carefully.
- Water.
It is very important to do not enrich the soil with fertilizer when planting mimosa. On the other hand, this tree needs a sufficiently acidic soil, hence the interest of enriching the topsoil with heather soil. This limits the risk of chlorosis. Some gardeners have found the solution: at the time of planting, they begin to put a bed of nails at the bottom of the hole in order on the one hand to create a drainage bed and on the other hand to promote the iron supply that the Mimosa needs.
It is possible to plant a Mimosa in a pot. To do this, we respect the following points.
- Hydrate the root ball for a quarter of an hour.
- Select a large pot with a pierced bottom.
- Place the pot on a solid wheeled tray because once the shrub has settled into its substrate, it can be difficult to move it if this precaution has not been taken.
- Place pebbles or clay balls on the bottom of the pot,
- Line the interior with a drainage veil,
- Prepare a mixture of garden soil, heather soil and planting soil,
- Place a little of this substrate at the bottom then install the young Mimosa in the center of the pot,
- Fill with the rest of the earth,
- Install a tutor,
- Tamp down without damaging the root ball,
- Water generously.
As for the Mimosa planted in the ground, do not add any fertilizer To the earth.
Enjoy a Mimosa
The Mimosa tolerates the cold very badly and air currents. So we install it under the sun where he can benefit from heat sufficient. It is planted in well-draining, stony or sandy, and slightly acidic soil.
The Mimosa does not present no particular difficulty in terms of maintenance. It develops rapidly when it is installed where the conditions suit it perfectly.
Water
The Mimosa hate excess water and stagnant water because they favor the rotting of its roots. It is a tree that prefers rainwater to tap water since it don’t like limestone (with the exception of the species Acacia retinodes) hence the interest of investing in a water recuperator…
From planting in the ground and during the following two years, it must be watered regularly except during periods of heavy rain, especially in summer. Thus, the recovery is favored. After two years, it is quite capable of withstanding periods of drought.
About the Mimosa in a jar, it must be watered moderately every evening in summer, then spaced out the waterings from autumn but care must be taken that the substratum is always humid. If it is completely dry, the young shrub may suffer significantly.
Fertiliser
Only the pot-grown Mimosa needs a monthly fertilizer input from March until September. You can use a fertilizer for flowering plants or for Mediterranean plants, which you just have to dilute in the irrigation water.
Repot
Every two years In early spring, a Mimosa in a container must be repotted. Repotting can even be done every year if the shrub grows very quickly. In the absence of repotting, surfacing required between March and April. This allows you to remove the old substrate from above and replace it with new, more nutritious, to a height of 4 good centimeters.
Protect
The Mimosa is a unhardy tree since it does not tolerate negative temperatures well. As soon as the weather reports announce the arrival of the first frosts, it is better to install a lined winter sail around the antler.
For subjects grown in pots, as soon as the outside temperature is below 3°C, precautions must be taken. The best solution is to put the mimosas in containers under cover in a local hors gel (but not heated) which must imperatively be equipped with a window.
Cut
The Mimosa is a fast growing tree, even very fast, which one may want to prune to control its extent. Apart from this scenario, each year after flowering, it is simply a good idea to reduce very moderately the branches that have produced flowers and to remove, if necessary, the stems that have more or less blackened due to frost. Trimming a few old branches afterwards can be useful to give a nice shape to an older Mimosa.
In order not to be invaded by releasesit is necessary that remove them as you go cutting them down to ground level.
Pests and diseases
Mimosa is appreciated for its beauty and resistance. However, it can fall prey to pruinose leafhopper (Metcalfa pruinosa) or white leafhopper, an insect pest of the family of Flatidae particularly present in our Mediterranean regions. The pruinose leafhopper feeds on the sap of the Mimosa. In the event of an infestation, a white veil gradually covers the entire shrub, which eventually dies. We can fight this sucking insect by attracting its predator the lizard and very frequently spraying water under the leaves of the Mimosa.
Sometimes the scale insects settle on the mimosas. They are dislodged by spraying these trees with black soap mixed with a little methylated spirit.
Finally, on the disease side, the only one to fear in the Mimosa is the chlorosis due to iron deficiency. It causes yellowing of the leaves. We must therefore integrate iron sulfate in soilat the foot of the Mimosa, to put an end to chlorosis.
Mimosa flowering
Depending on the species or variety, the Mimosa flowers at different times of the year, but for many of these trees flowering takes place all winter long. It is therefore a significant asset to take into account when planning the creation of a landscaped garden, for example. Being able to admire evergreen trees covered with golden yellow flower heads in winter is a real delight at this time when the gardens are rather gloomy, soulless…
Note that we can also take advantage of several flowering periods with one and the same tree, which run from January to December. To do this, simply plant a Four Seasons Mimosa (Acacia retinodes).
Mimosa flowers are bright golden yellow and their fragrance is unique. Their appearance varies depending on the species. Some are cylindrical, others spherical. They can be large or small, isolated or arranged in clusters. All have a large number of stamens which are declined in a large palette of yellows. There are also very rare species with purple bloom as’Acacia leprosa ‘Scarlet blaze’.
Finally, we can make pretty bouquets of fresh flowers to perfume and illuminate its interior as well as sumptuous bouquets of dried flowers because the flowers of the Mimosa lend themselves very well to floral art.