The sweet scent of mimosa

A greenhouse success story: the mimosa tree (Acacia dealbata) I planted last year in the built-in bed has not only survived the ridiculously low temperatures of December, but is flowering its little twigs off. I could not be more pleased. On a clear day, against a blue sky, it looks amazing. Plus it has filled the greenhouse with the most amazing perfume.

The little balls have been on the cusp of bursting open since the beginning of January really, and now they’re coming out one spray at a time. And actually even in bud form they’re quite pretty - little neon dots. But in their full furry glory they are something else.

I’m not usually a fan of yellow flowers but the form of these makes it a bit of a special case, plus the fern-like leaves are a nice glaucous colour which compliments them well. It’s a fast grower - it’s reaching across the roof of the greenhouse now after just a year; but that’s not a complaint. I’ve been cutting the occasional branch to bring into the house with early cherry plum blossom, which is a pretty good antidote to the bleakness of late winter. It looks like it’s going to be tall and lanky just now but apparently their ultimate shape is quite squat. Maybe it’ll outgrow the greenhouse - that could be a problem. Anyway, not one for now.