There are Acacias endemic to every state in Australia and some curse the pollen heavy spherical ball shaped flowers but for me the scent of wattles starting to bloom in South East Qld heralds winter. 

This is a beautiful wattle bearing fragrant lemon coloured flowers growing to 5m and there is a dwarf form.

This wattle bears unusual zigzag shaped stems, the flowers are bright gold in colour. It is a fast growing small tree to 5m.

Growing to 5m this wattle stands out due to its striking silver foliage.

There is a wattle to suit every garden position, from ground covers, small and medium shrubs to large trees. It’s mind boggling just how many species there are. Of course not all of these are available in general nurseries, you will have to go to local native plant group meetings, forestry nurseries and native plant shows to find some of the more uncommon species.

Some of the wonders of acacias are, their fast growing habit, which can mean short life span but this can mean that they can make great nursery plants providing shade and protection for slower growing rainforest species for example and dying off as these species start to mature. Being a legume they can have the capacity to fix nitrogen in the soil. And finally, they are a fantastic source of food for bees and other insects.