Acacia pravissima

Ovens wattle
Graphic evergreen shrub or small tree for coastal and inland gardens, containers. Fragrant acid-yellow blooms in winter-spring.
Acacia pravissima
height 12–20ft
width 10–20ft
tolerates Drought, Heat, Pots, Neglect, Salt, Wind
water
needs		 Low
water
info		 This acacia is among the least thirsty of those we love and grow.

For the first year after it’s planted, this acacia should be watered deeply but infrequently (when the top three inches of soil or so have dried). After that, it won’t need supplemental water except in exceptionally hot and dry environments. If you’ve cut it off entirely and it looks stalled or unhappy you may need to water it in for an additional year to get the roots deeply developed. Use drippers, emitters or a slow stream of water so that it doesn’t run off; allow the water to trickle all the way down through the deepest layers of soil.

A great trick for watering street trees is to drill a 1/8-inch hole on the bottom edge of a 5-gallon bucket, then set the bucket with the hole aligned next to the tree and fill the bucket with water. Fill once for a 1-5 gallon plant, fill twice for a 7-15 gallon plant, three times for 25g or larger plants.

Though these trees are drought tolerant, never let them go bone dry in a pot.
hardy
to		 12F
exposure Part Sun – Full Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix
fertilizing All Purpose, Low Needs
origin SE Australia
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 5–9, 12–24

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

OUTDOOR EXPOSURE GUIDE

Full Sun
Six or more hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Shade
Three to five hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Sun
One to two hours of sun beams directly landing on the plants leaves.

Full Shade
The plant is never fully lit by sun beams, but is in a bright spot or has dappled sunbeams playing over the leaves throughout the day.

Deep Shade
The plant never has dappled light on the leaves, and is in a place that feels dim, even on a nice sunny day.

SUNSET ZONES MAP

Growing Notes

Acacia are FAST growers - this plant will reach full size in under five years making it a great choice for privacy needs in your garden. Acacia are also relatively short lived, typically growing for twenty to thirty years. This combination can be used to your advantage by planting longer lived slower growing plants near your acacia
Acacia do well in pots, which effectively “dwarf” them.
In some shade, acacia look softer and the colors come out more. They also tend to get more upright as they reach for the sun. This makes them a great choice for tight urban gardening.

Special Interest

This acacia will take more heat or cold than many other of our favorite acacia. This acacia will thrive in Sonoma, Ojai, and the hottest parts of LA.

We’ve pruned it up to be a beautiful small weeping tree, left it natural to be a large multi-branched shrub, and even trained it along fences or over an arbor like a vine.