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Revive our Acacia/Mimosa

mejknight33731mejknight33731 Posts: 2
in Problem solving
We have a large Mimosa or Acacia tree in our garden.  It must be at least 25 years old. For the first three years that we lived here, this beautiful tree had a good canopy of mid-green leaves.   This year it didn’t recover from
the long winter and didn’t really lead at all, with only a smattering of weak yellow leaves appearing at random places on the tree in late April/May.  The tree has always had a thick network of twigs, most of which now seem to be dead.  Larger branches seem to still be alive but I’m not sure.

here are some pics to show how it looked in summer. Sorry they are sideways!

 

The only thing that I did differently last winter to those before is that I didn’t prune it.  Usually I would take out some of the higher reaching branches and twigs to stop the tree getting too big and to ensure a thick canopy.  Last autumn it didn’t seem to need it so I didn’t. 

I would hate to lose this tree, though I fear the worst. Does anyone who knows these trees know if it might recover or if there is anything I can do to help it?  Would pruning out the dead twigs and branches help, for example?

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited October 2023
    @mejknight33731 I am suprised that it has done so well in the UK. I am not sure that there will be alot of help available as I would think there are possibly few specimens of such a size in the UK.
    Sadly trees do take years to die and it might be facing a slow decline. With a wet then very cold spell at the end of 2022 lots of the more tender mature shrubs suffered.
    Sorry to add only bad news I hope someone can offer more help.

    Iv'e seen them struugle in Northern Brittany but go south to Nante and they are plentiful.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    Can you add a close up of the foliage please or the cultivar name if you know it. It's hard to tell from the picture but it doesn't look like the normal acacia grown here, which is dealbata, which have ferny foliage. That species is short lived here but is also a very fast grower and many people lost them due to last year's cold and wet winter, as they aren't reliably hardy.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    edited October 2023
    @mejknight33731 Yes I agree a close up would be helpful ,on a closer look at your photos the leaves do look different to A dealbata which is the only one I know.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • mejknight33731mejknight33731 Posts: 2
    Thank you for your help so far.  I’ve no close up pics of the leaves and there are none on it now.  The best I have is this photo from a few years ago. 
    However I think that I’ve worked out that it isn’t a mimosa, but a “honey locust” (Gleditsia) tree.  Some have recently been planted in a street nearby which look very similar and still have the tags on. 
    The leaves are not the fine fern-like leaves of a mimosa but they are in a fern shaped arrangement. The branches and twigs have long spikes along them. 

    Whatever it is, it is not well at all.  Would clearing out the dead twigs and branches help it recover next spring, do you think?
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @mejknight33731 You may be suprised to know that Gleditsia's are short lived trees. Your tree has done well to reach 25 years which is about it's life span.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    It certainly looks like a gleditsia, I would just remove any weak or dead growth when it's dormant.
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