The arrival of mimosas in Europe
Mimosas were introduced in Europe, at the end of the 18th century, by the Anglo-Saxon explorer James COOK, who brought them back from Australia.
Mimosas were then naturalized in the south east of France, then in Brittany and in the south of England.
The cultivation area of the mimosa
The mimosa can be grown in the open ground, provided that the temperature does not fall below -10°C. Everywhere else, it can be grown in pots, as long as you have an unheated veranda, a cold greenhouse or a winter garden.
In the Paris region, in the gardens within the city walls, in the center of Paris, it is possible to consider growing a mimosa in the ground, if the exposure is full south and full sun, against a wall, in an urban area sheltered from the north wind. It should be noted that the hardiness of the mimosa is the same as that of the oleander.
Choosing a pot
The repotting of the mimosa is done in stages, from the small pot to the medium one, then to the large one. Under no circumstances should you repot your shrub directly into a large pot. This process is spread over 3 to 5 years.
Water requirements of the mimosa
The mimosa in a pot is very easy to grow, but it does not tolerate a lack of water. The same cannot be said for the mimosa in the ground. The mimosa behaves, then, like all plants that grow in dry soil. They can be found along roadsides, where they grow spontaneously, without watering or pruning.
How to prune the mimosa?
Grown in the ground, the mimosa is pruned only once a year, after flowering. There is no need to hoe, fertilize or treat it.
Grown in a pot, a soft pruning is enough. It consists in removing the faded flowers and keeping a harmonious ball shape.
The diversity of mimosas
The diversity of the mimosa's leaves is worth taking an interest in, on the one hand because it offers different shades of gray, silver, purple or green, and on the other hand, because 10 months out of 12, we only enjoy the foliage.
The flowerings, all spectacular, have multiple tones of yellow, white or orange, and very nuanced perfumes. Depending on the variety, we can have mimosas in bloom almost all year long (in summer, in autumn or in winter).
The forms are also diverse and varied: ground cover, small shrubs or large trees (30 meters high in Australia; 15 meters in Europe). Mimosas can therefore be used as an isolated subject, integrated into a bed or within a hedge, especially since they grow very quickly (they can triple in size every year).
Why graft mimosas ?
- To support all types of soil (clay, limestone...);
- To have a flowering from the first year;
- to avoid having invasive shoots.
They are grafted on mimosas of the four seasons because the latter support limestone, do not suckers, and have a root system not very extensive, which allows their installation against a wall.
