in north portland my acacia pravissima looks pretty bad. not dead, but it lost all its blooms to cold.

Bremerton tree is an exception that proves a rule. Many acacias of various kinds have been planted elsewhere here many times, only to die at some point. South of here, in the more suitable climate of the redwood region there is even a complex of species that have become weeds.

Garden centers here continue to offer these and other tender trees and shrubs. For locations of other plantings see A. Jacobson, Trees of Seattle - Second Edition:

Perhaps two dozen species (of over 1,200!) of Acacia have been tried here over the years, chiefly at the Arboretum and U.W. campus. Though they grow rapidly, very cold winters here kill them, so they seldom attain much size--but some resprout from their roots

as the Bremerton tree can be seen to have done at least once.

My 60' tall A. dealbata var. subalpina in Olympia may be dead to the ground after this winter. Not quite ready to nail the lid on the coffin just yet, but it definitely looks stressed after the big freeze, despite sailing through the 2008 freeze without a scratch. A smaller one in a more sheltered part of the garden appears to be in pretty good shape. A. pravissima is definitely dead, but it was in the coldest part of the garden. More updates to come.

the pravissima grows so incredibly quickly, that even if mine freezes to the ground i wouldn't be very upset.

i enjoy a few borderline plants here or there to add drama to the winter.

The two acacia species I had here on Camano were fun for perhaps several years.

Then they froze and died.

The last one I planted in the other place, north of Seattle shot up quick and then fell over flat on the ground, the same summer it was planted. That's what can happen when you plant fast-growing trees out of small containers, without opening the roots up at planting time.

All were examples of some of the most hardy species, planted against sunny walls.