I just returned from a quick trip to France, spending most of my garden time in the south of France. I’d read that it is Mimosa time in that region and set out to learn what I could, camera at the ready. Michel Racine’s book on gardens in southern France recommended a nursery where they are propagated, Pepinieres Gerard Cavatore, in Bormes les Mimosas. I spent the night in the Village and found the nursery before I left the area. Not only did they let me wander around and take pictures, but Julien Cavatore answered my questions and gave me some basic information about the plants. Like Julian, their web site is full of information. This summer, they plan to move their operation to a bigger location and start adding additional plants that are suitable for the dry Mediterranean climate.
The plants that are called mimosa in France are Acacias. The exact numbers depend on the sources but there are well over 1200 varieties of Acacias, most of them originating in Australia. The Cavatores graft and sell over a hundred varieties. (I tried to count them on the website and gave up.) I read that they were imported to England by explorers in the late 1700s and brought to the south of France by the wealthy English who had winter villas there. They have thrived.
They color the air with a sweet scent when the sun warms the Cote d’Azure hills in early spring. The bees like them and they last well as cut flowers. They are a warm climate plant that does well in dry conditions. I don’t know why I don’t see them more in the southwest but Julian told me that Huntington Gardens in California does have a collection.
The Australian National Botanic Gardens Website has a good section on Acacias. Fun to learn they are called “wattle” in Australia.
What struck me most is the wide range of sizes, shapes and colors for these plants, although the blossom is primarily found in shades of yellow. I’ve pulled together a gallery of shots that starts with variations in blossoms and leaves, some of the leaves are blue/grey into purple shades, and ends with shots of their use in the landscape. I’ll be posting more about the gardens and locations where these shots were taken, soon.
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