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How tall do mimosa trees get


The Mimosa Tree Complete Guide

Gardening Tips For The Mimosa Tree

The Mimosa Tree is a stunning show of flower bursts, which are often compared to starbursts or fireworks. This small to medium-sized fast growing Mimosa Tree displays the most beautiful pink flowers in the depths of summer. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds will flock to these flowers, which show off bright, tight clusters of pink to yellow-tipped stamens. Frequently known as the “silk tree”, the stamens of the flower are reminiscent of silk threads. The Mimosa Tree has unique palmate leaves, which appear as tiny fronds similar to the leaves of palm trees or fern plants. Texture is a large aspect of why the Mimosa Tree has gained popularity throughout the United States. The 20 to 30 small leaflets provide a detailed background on which the bursting colors of the Mimosa flower blossom.

The Mimosa Tree is known by many other names throughout the world. Its Italian namesake, Filippo degli Albizzi, provides it a portion of its scientific name, Albizia julibrissin. The other part of the name is derived from a Persian word meaning “silk flower”. Commonly found throughout the world’s warmer climates, the Mimosa Tree is a popular ornamental flowering tree. It is also fast-growing, making it an irresistible choice for many homeowners. For gardeners hoping to provide dappled shade for smaller plants, the 20 to 25 foot tall Mimosa Tree provide the necessary height, shape, and leave density. It is always a beautiful addition to the garden.

These drought-resistant and fast-growing trees do produce beautiful flowers, which when coupled with its small fruit and leaves, can create the need for a clean-up routine. Well worth the clean-up and pruning, Mimosa Trees are positively beautiful when planted as either a central focal point in the yard or in a row as a border along entryways or fences. Enjoy the luscious pink blossoms in summer and the gentle shape throughout the year.

Quick Tips

Enjoy some quick tips here. For more complete information, read about these hints in more detail below.

Sunlight – Mimosa Trees prefer full sun; in drier regions, some partial afternoon shade for the tree may prove beneficial.

Soil – The adaptable Mimosa Tree prefers moist, well-drained acidic soil; however, the tree is often successful in a variety of other soil conditions.

Water – The drought-tolerant Mimosa Tree prefers at least an inch of water a week; however, it is able to withstand mild to moderate droughts with relative ease.

Pruning – Pruning should occur in winter, while the tree is dormant only after it is established (3 years). Remove dead or diseased wood.

The Best Places to Plant the Mimosa Tree

The Mimosa Tree, which originated in southwestern and eastern Asia, prefers the warmer climates. The tree is now commonly found throughout many regions of the world, and it can withstand brief cold spells.

In the United States, the Mimosa Tree prefers USDA Hardiness Zones 6 through 10, preferring the subtropical to tropical climates of much of the lower latitudes. Plant the Mimosa Tree in an area that receive full sun, though some partial shade, especially in the driest regions of the southwest, can be helpful to the water retention of the tree. The Mimosa Tree is best suited as an accent plant, where its ornamental beauty will not be lost. For many gardeners, this may mean a center-garden or center-yard spot. The Mimosa Tree can also be used to line entryways or driveways, and its uniform shape allows it to pair nicely with others in its species.

Mimosa Trees prefer the moist, well-drained soil typical of loam. With regard to pH, the tree enjoys slightly acidic soil. Despite these preferences, the Mimosa Tree readily adapts to various soil conditions. Water is not as much of a concern for the Mimosa Tree. In fact, short dry spells will not harm this tree since it is drought-resistant. Like most flowering trees, the Mimosa prefers at least an inch of water a week in the form of rainfall or irrigative services. If the region in which the tree is planted is prone to severe droughts, consider investing in an irrigation system that will not only help control the flow of water, but disperse it to the Mimosa during those truly hot, long-lasting droughts.

The Mimosa Tree is a beautiful ornamental plant. When considering planting locations, look for one where its beauty will shimmer!

Growth Rate and Mature Height

The Mimosa Tree is a small to medium sized ornamental tree. It is also exceptionally fast-growing. Expect the tree to quickly reach between 20 and 25 feet in height and 10 to 20 feet in width. The growth rate of the tree is fast, frequently earning the Mimosa Tree as much as 5 feet in a growing season!

Pests, Diseases, and Other Concerns

The Mimosa Tree is known to be a hardy, disease-resistant ornamental tree. Despite these benefits, there is one vascular fungal disease that can affect the growth of the Mimosa Tree. Mimosa Wilt is the most fatal of the diseases to impact the Mimosa Tree. The leaves of the Mimosa will yellow and wither before midsummer, often interrupting flowering. Many trees die quickly after wilting is observed, though most die branch by branch.

Diseased trees in advanced stages of the disease’s development may produce ooze from cracks in the trunk. Using a balance fertilizer can help to reduce the likelihood of the Mimosa developing this wilt. Water frequently and remove diseased wood.

Noteworthy Tips on the Mimosa Tree

– The Mimosa Tree has several cultivars that have become popular, including the ‘Summer Chocolate’ and ‘Ishii Weeping’.

– Mimosa Trees produce seeds that are enjoyed by many wild animals, including birds.

– In some regions of the world, such as Japan, the Mimosa Tree has been labeled ‘invasive’.

– Birds, butterflies, and honeybees will flock to the sweet nectar the Mimosa Tree produces, adding a wildlife scene to the garden environment.

– The seeds grow readily, which is part of the reason the tree has been labeled as invasive in some areas. Researchers are currently cultivating a non-seed bearing Mimosa cultivar that will be able to provide the same stunning beauty without the risks!

Mimosa tree - planting, pruning, and advice on caring for winter mimosa

Mimosa is one of the most beautiful winter-flowering shrubs, renowned for its exceptional bright gold yellow flowering.

Key facts about mimosa

Name – Acacia dealbata
Family – Mimosaceae
Type – tree

Height – 13 to 32 feet (4 to 10 meters)
Exposure – full sun
Soil – well drained and sandy

Foliage – evergreen
Flowering – January to March

Proper planting of the winter mimosa tree, its pruning and the care you’ll give it will help you have a magnificent mimosa tree, whether in pots or in the ground in the garden.

  • Read also: Albizia julibrissin, the Mimosa tree of the Americas

Planting a winter mimosa tree

Mimosa is planted preferably in spring or in fall in a sunny spot and, ideally, sheltered from wind.

If you choose to grow your mimosa tree in a pot for a deck, balcony or terrace, its fragrance will spread in the entire vicinity as soon as the first flowers unfurl.

Indeed, mimosa tree particularly loves sun-endowed emplacements that are protected from drafts, and especially well-drained soil.

  • You’ll do well in avoiding heavy clay soil.
  • For chalky soil, select a flowering mimosa tree that is grafted with a local native root stock. It will be better suited to that particular soil type.
  • Follow our tips on how to plant a mimosa tree.
  • Propagate your mimosa tree through cuttings in summer (highest success rate, but spring is also fine).
  • Gather seeds from a tree, they germinate readily.
  • You can even grow a new mimosa tree from bark.

In regions with harsh winters, your best option is to plant your mimosa tree in large pots so that you may bring them indoors over winter.

Growing mimosa in a pot

Mimosa is a shrub that will grow very well in a pot or large garden box, even though proper growing conditions must be provided.

  • Never use a pot that sits in a water retention device, the pot must drain freely at the bottom for the water to run off.
  • Start with a smaller pot for it to develop its root system.
  • Ensure it stays sheltered from wind.
  • Mimosa requires sun to bloom.

After 3-4 years, the time has come to repot it in a larger pot.

Soil mix for growing mimosa in a pot

Use a well-draining potting blend:

  • 10% river sand and for the rest, half-and-half flower potting mix and peat.
  • Add a few handfuls of compost on top.
  • If the pot is too large, topdress instead of repotting.

Pruning potted mimosa trees

Unlike a mimosa tree that is planted in the ground, which can be left to grow freely, a potted mimosa must be pruned.

  • The pruning is performed after the blooming.
  • Shorten all the branches, giving the tree the shape you desire for it: sphere, cone, etc…

Watering and fertilizer for potted mimosa trees

Mimosa shrubs grown in pots dry up much faster, and must thus be watered often.

  • Water regularly but not too much, so as to not drown the roots while still maintaining constant moisture in the soil.
  • Provide flower shrub fertilizer during the entire growth period.
  • Or use natural fertilizer every two weeks during spring and summer for nutrients.

Mimosa tree and winter freezing

Mimosa tree resists freezing if moderate, 23°F (-5°C) at the coldest. This is especially true when the bouts of freezing are short.

When growing directly in the ground and if the weather freezes deeply in your area, protect your tree by implementing our advice on protecting plants against the cold.

Potted mimosa tree in Winter

A mimosa grown in pots isn’t as hardy to the cold and must be brought indoors for shelter in a cool spot over the winter if it freezes in your area.

  • You can also put horticultural fleece to good use, wrapping the branches with the winterizing fabric at the onset of the first frost spells. Your mimosa tree will be effectively protected from freezing.
  • Also protect the base with a thick layer of dried leaf mulch.

If you transfer a potted mimosa to the ground, remember to winterize it for at least three years. This is especially important if you’ve previously been bringing it indoors for protection. These first three “outdoor winters” will gradually harden the tree until it can cope against freezing on its own.

Pruning and caring for mimosa

Once properly settled in with a developed root system, the mimosa tree calls for minimal care. The only thing you might fear is having a late deep frost spell hit the mimosa tree in full bloom.

Otherwise, mimosa is so vigorous that some people call it an invasive plant. But stand assured: regular care and pruning will restrain its rapid growth.

How to trim a mimosa tree

Pruning of the mimosa tree takes place after the blooming because if you cut the tree in winter, you won’t have a single flower.

  • Cut branches that have born flowers back lightly.
  • As soon as they appear on the trunk, pinch suckers off. These usually shoot out at ground level, and they’ll weaken the rest of the tree.

If, at the end of winter, you notice branches that are broken and blackened because of freezing, feel free to cut them off because they, too, would weaken the tree.

How fast does a mimosa tree grow?

A single shoot can grow up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) in a single season!

  • From this shoot, in the next season, more side branches will fan out.

If you want a low, bushy shrub:

  • snip every branch as soon as it reaches two feet (50 cm).
  • They will branch out and create a round, dense shrub that will be covered in flowers in winter.
  • Don’t worry about the timing, this can be done any time.
  • Also, feel free to cut back drastically if you need to reduce the size of the tree. Mimosa can cope with hard pruning quite well.

If you want a tall, tree-like shape:

  • Let the topmost, leading stem grow freely.
  • Cut out suckers that grow from the side of the trunk.
  • Remove suckers up to the height you want your “trunk” to look like.
  • Above this, branches will start fanning out and grow, forming a tree-like crown.

Mimosa will start back from the roots even if freezing killed the trunk off. Nurture the new sucker depending on how you wish to shape your tree.

Note: Always prune your tree just after a split or y-junction with a smaller branch. An alternative is to prune just after (above) a bud that can take the lead and grow. Otherwise you’ll end up hatracking your tree, which isn’t a good thing.

Watering a mimosa tree

Mimosa isn’t a tree that requires much watering, except when potted, of course. However, it hates excess moisture that has a tendency to make the roots rot, eventually killing the tree.

Watering a mimosa tree planted in the ground

  • You must water in case of prolonged dry spells, but otherwise stocks of water contained in the tree itself should answer the mimosa tree’s needs.

Watering potted mimosa

  • Mimosa trees grown in pots require regular watering that is moderate in quantity during winter.   Only provide it when it isn’t freezing.
  • In summer and in case of hot weather, water in the evening to avoid having water evaporate immediately.

Mimosa tree, key points to know

Mimosa is known thanks to florists who sell it in January, when flowers are still in the bud: it already is fragrant enough to spread its scent throughout an entire house!

Its foliage is evergreen and its blooming has a fresh, appealing smell.

A winter-blooming tree, it is also particularly appreciated for the color of its flowers, the fragrance they impart and, most of all, its blooming period.

Winter’s deepest and darkest months is when this tree drapes itself in full color and releases its delicious spring-like fragrance throughout the neighborhood.

You can also take advantage of all this tree’s gifts on your terrace, balcony or deck if you plant it in a large garden box. Simply water it as soon as the soil turns dry.

Note that there is a certain confusion in terms: the tree that is commonly called Mimosa tree is actually an Acacia, whereas the tree that is commonly called acacia is really the locust tree. In addition, for Americans, a mimosa is a tree of the Albizia genus, the silk tree.

  • More clarity on the different acacia tree types

Now, about varieties: over 1200 mimosa tree species have been numbered throughout the world, and the first ones were introduced in Europe first along the Mediterranean, then along the Atlantic. They’ve spread across the temperate hemisphere ever since.

Smart tip about the mimosa tree

No need to add any fertilizer because a mimosa tree never needs fertilizer, even upon planting. An exception to this is when growing mimosa in pots: the soil must be replenished.

Simple mulch is enough and will keep water from evaporating and weeds from growing.

Your mimosa tree will happily stay small if you prune it often, and if you let it grow it can turn into a tall tree.

Winter mimosa on social media

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Credits for images shared to Nature & Garden (all edits by Gaspard Lorthiois):
Dreamy mimosa branch by Tomoko Uji under Unsplash license
Potted mimosa by Nacho under © CC BY 2.0
Mimosa snow by nofrills under © CC BY-NC 2.0
Tall blooming mimosa by Rosalyn & Gaspard Lorthiois, own work
Mimosa golden flower (on social media) (also on social media) by Nicola Giordano ★ under Pixabay license

How and where mimosa grows, whether it is a flower or a tree

The mimosa flower is known and widespread in our open spaces. It can be found on the shelves of flower shops in early spring. Graceful twigs with small bright yellow balls and fluffy leaves beckon with their very strong and easily remembered aroma. Among the people, this flower began to be considered a symbol of the women's holiday, which is celebrated in Russia on March 8.

Information about mimosa

Most people know very little about this flower. For example, the fact that mimosa is actually a shrub, not a flower, is known to few. And it is also from the legume family, and is actually called silver acacia or from the country of origin: Australian acacia.

This is an unpretentious plant, modest in appearance and very delicate, with an aromatic smell of flowers. In countries such as France and Montenegro, there is even a day dedicated to him.

Mimosa grows very quickly in the form of a tree and reaches a height of 10-12 m in our country, while in its homeland it can grow up to 45 m! The leaves are silver-green in color, and the tree trunk itself is prickly. This color of the leaves contributed to the name "silver acacia". Their shape is similar to the leaves of a fern. The plant begins to bloom in winter, and ends in early spring, this is its unusualness.

The history of the plant

In Russia, the mimosa plant took root on the Black Sea coast because it is quite hot there. At present, this plant can also be found in:

  • Sochi
  • Abkhazia,
  • in the Caucasus.

But given that our climate is still significantly different from its homeland, the height of mimosa on our territory reaches only 12 cm. and alley. Today it is grown everywhere there, you will not surprise anyone with it. In Sochi, it is also growing at every turn, most simply do not pay any attention to it. But in the regions of the north, this is not possible, so the shelves of flower shops are replenished with them from the beginning of the March holidays.

Genuine mimosa is a tropical plant that grows in Brazil. She is called bashful or touchy. This is a perennial plant, but due to the fact that every year it loses its decorative effect, they began to grow as an annual. Its leaves, at the slightest touch, immediately curl up, creating the appearance that they have wilted. But after half an hour or an hour, the leaves bloom again, if they are not disturbed. Scientists explain this phenomenon by the fact that the plant is so protected from tropical rains, twisting its fluffy leaves.

The same reaction occurs in a plant to shaking, to changes in temperature, and before nightfall, when it tends to sleep. And it doesn’t matter whether you shake the whole bush or just a part, the reaction will go from the leaves to the untouched ones. This feature of the flower is similar to sour. However, it takes several minutes for this action to take place, while silver acacia folds its leaves instantly.

There are about 500 species in the world . Most of them grow in tropical America. Among the representatives there are:

  • Trees
  • Herbs
  • Shrubs.

Of all species, not everyone has a reaction to touch. And, for example, in species such as bashful mimosa. Its flowers are pinkish-purple in color and are collected in capitate inflorescences. At home, in one period they can grow up to 1 m in height, but in room conditions it is half as much.

Care

This flower is extremely fond of bright light and grows well in direct sunlight. It is better to keep a flower pot on the southern windows, it will only be necessary to make a small shade at noon. It is also good for a flower on the western and eastern windows. After cloudy weather, mimosa is better gradually accustom to the sun , as you can not avoid sunburn. After the first flowering, it is better to replace it with a new one, since it loses its beauty with age, and there are no problems in reproduction, it will easily grow from seed.

The plant does not like polluted air, so if people smoke indoors, it is better to remove it from there. The optimum air temperature for a flower is 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius. At temperatures below 18 degrees, the leaves lose their ability to respond to touch. In winter, it is worth carefully ventilating the room in which the flower stands.

The soil for the plant should be loose and humus , and a good layer of drainage should be at the bottom of the pot. In spring and summer, it is better to water the plant abundantly as the top layer dries out, and closer to the onset of cold weather, reduce watering. At the same time, it is necessary to monitor and prevent overdrying or excess moisture in the soil. In summer, the soil can be fertilized with a solution of mineral fertilizers every two weeks.

Allergy sufferers should be aware that the plant releases pollen at the time of its flowering. Flowers fall during this period. Mimosa can be damaged by spider mites or aphids.

Also, owners of silver locust may experience that leaves may turn yellow if there is abundant watering, and will be closed even in the daytime. But if there is a drought for the plant, then all the leaves will fall off. The stems of the plant lose strength and stretch out if the plant has little light. And as a result of the low temperature, it will not bloom.

Mimosa flower

  • Author: Lilia Igorevna Nikolskaya