Monday, May 2, 2011

Acacia 'Cousin It'

I’m afraid I’ve become slightly obsessed by a plant I’ve never even seen. Never seen in person that is, I’ve seen several pictures. For the first time on the wonderful blog Piece of Eden (above and below). Then just a few days later this same plant shows up on the Martha Stewart Garden Blog when Tony Bielaczyc visited the Ball Horticulture Pack Trials. Here is the picture from Martha’s blog… Isn’t it hot!? Kind of like a Restio crossed with Hakonechloa. Here’s what MSGB had to say about it: “This is Acacia 'Cousin It'. The name is nearly as charming as the plant itself. It's a slow grower and perfect for containers, which is what Ball is working toward with many of their woodies, adapting them as container plants.”

Next I went to the San Marcos Growers website to learn more. Here are a couple of their pictures… And what they have to say: “Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' (Little River Wattle) - A low growing mounding form of the River Wattle, Acacia cognata, with tight growth to 2 to 3 feet tall by 3 to 6 feet wide with light green, sometimes red tinged, new growth that matures to a rich emerald green. This plant has not been noted in bloom but likely would have the very pale yellow flowers of the species. Plant in full sun to part shade in a well drained soil. Once established it will require only occasional irrigation. The literature lists it hardy to 15°F but we feel that the tips likely will freeze at 20-25° F as with the species but this likely will not be as damaging as it is to the tree form and serve as a light pruning on this shrub form. This plant was first released in Australia as Acacia cognata 'Mini Cog' but is making its debut in the US under the marketing name Cousin Itt by Ball Ornamental Plants” And going to the Ball Ornamental Plants site I learned this:

Scientific Name: Acacia cognata 'Mini Cog'
Common Name: Cousin Itt Acacia
Hardiness Degree: 15°F (-9.4°C)
Plant Habit: Spreading, Mounded
Spacing: 18 - 36" (46 - 91cm)
Height: 36" (91cm)
Width: 36" (91cm)
Exposure: Sun
Grower Information: A Ball Ornamentals Exclusive.
A Low-Water Needs Variety.
Evergreen shrub with compact, mounded, spreading habit and green, weeping foliage. Low water requirements make it great for dry Mediterranean landscapes or as a container plant for colder, wetter climates. It also features a high tolerance of heat in the southern United States. No flowers have been observed. Perfect for foundation plantings or large/mixed containers.

Naturally I’ve fallen for a plant that isn’t hardy here in Portland. But yet I imagine a thick border along the front of the house, choking out the Bishops Weed and looking fabulous!

59 comments:

  1. Those are lovely...especially the large swathe of them...remind me quite a bit (texture-wise) of Amsonia...except, of course, that's not evergreen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Last year I spent a the day at Annie's Annuals in Richmond, Ca. ( Bay Area) and they had a very large Acacia Cognate " Cousin Itt" planted in their garden and it was not for sale. They only sell 4" pots but I was also lucky to find one a little larger. When they say they are slow growing they are not kidding. But I can't wait for it to grow in all its glory. If you have ever have the pleasure to see a large one in person, you wil be mesmerized, it is absolutely beautiful. Now I want at least 3 more but have been unable to find them anywhere. If any of you know where I can get some I would appreciate it. Chris ~

      Delete
    2. I found this plant at Orchard nursery in Lafayette, CA. TThey Re indeed gorgeous!

      Delete
    3. Green Acres in Roseville has them. I have two! I live an hour north of Sacrameto. I have found these plants like some sun. Perfect for porches that get filtered light. Both mine have lived through two winters in garden zone 9b. Both have also wen through times of not looking so well, but they recovered. I love them. Have them in pots.

      Delete
    4. You can ask Lowe’s to order you one. The plant is being grown in a nursery called The Australian Outback Plants. They now sell their plants to Lowe’s. It’s a wonderful wholesale nursery located in Tonapah, Arizona. If you get a chance you should swing by for a visit. Linda~

      Delete
    5. I have one that is on a 5 foot stand. It is hitting the floor and I have to trim it. I got a small one at Liwes last year. It is on a 3-4 foot stand and about a foot from the floor. I keep them in my sun room. I'm trying to find info on propagating

      Delete
    6. Lowe's is where I got mine. It's a beautiful plant. I'm going to plant it in a ceramic container and enjoy it on my sunny porch.

      Delete
    7. AnonymousMay 16, 2021

      I love mine. I saw it at Huntington Gardens on LA..they had it in a large pot, underplanting more upright plants. Just potted it today.

      Delete
  2. If I find it, it's coming home!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJuly 25, 2014

      Gardeners Choice in Tigard on 99

      Delete
  3. My guess is that these will be expensive the first few years...but wow, what a great plant!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' is a cute plant, the first time I saw it at work, I was shocked that it was an Acacia. Matti

    ReplyDelete
  5. < Naturally I’ve fallen for a plant that isn’t hardy here in Portland. But yet I imagine a thick border along the front of the house, choking out the Bishops Weed and looking fabulous!

    As if that's ever stopped me from purchasing a plant. Especially a way cool plant like this!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The foliage is glossy as well as draping. A very beautiful plant.
    Hakonechloa macra might be a fair if shorter and deciduous substitute in colder climates.

    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousMay 02, 2011

    Yeah, this is a stunner for sure. It looks like it would be soft to the touch and probably has a fragrance too. Another contender for your basement or greenhouse during the winter. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Bring that scary plant on! I'm ready to experiment. I will certainly be on the lookout.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I like how soft it looks--a great foil for pointier other plants. I wonder if it's as soft to the hand as it appears. Lots of soft-looking plants end up feeling like a mud-caked orangutan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It IS SOFT, I have a large one (8' diameter) in my front yard, lots of nice compliments on this plant.

      Delete
    2. I just bought one. It's tiny and I'll plant it in my front yard. How many years has it taken to grow 8'?

      Delete
  10. scott, the evergreen part is a definite plus! (if you can get over the not hardy here part).

    Denise, price is no object?

    ricki, I think you are correct.

    Matti, have I mentioned how lucky you are? You know, to work THERE.

    Van, exactly.

    Thanks Hoover, I hope you'll keep us updated on how your plants are doing!

    Grace, well you've got me figured out that's for sure.

    compost, so will it be hardy for you?

    James, I am curious just how many a mud-caked orangutans you've touched?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks like another candidate for the danger (potted) garden. You are on an increased acacia trajectory lately, I see. It's a soft, drapey one this time!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great plant I saw it at the nursery. I wonder if it will grow in a desert climate?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ozzie LandscaperFebruary 09, 2012

      should grow in desert climate, like most acacias they like poor soils and plenty of sun. They will need some TLC at first because the nurseries spoil young plants with too much water. You should be able to wein them off the water dependency in 4 - 8 weeks. good luck

      Delete
  13. I've been dreaming of this plant ever since I first stumbled upon a photo of Acacia cognata 'Limelight'! I love the weeping habit and that it is evergreen. The photo was on an Australian's blog and they were using the plant in street median plantings- I've been waiting for years to find this plant in the states. I'm going to start using Cousin ITT in my designs!

    Cheers,
    Kate Wiseman
    Sage Outdoor Designs
    www.sageoutdoordesigns.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ah - should have know that you would have a post on this plant! I'm so bummed... I guess I was overwhelmed, and in the excitement of taking it all in, I forgot to buy it when I had the chance. Oh well... You know, it would look fantastic paired with that red-leaved wonder I also didn't buy. DAMN!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bought two at a nursery near here..nursery is in Loomis, CA, High Hand Nursery. They have survived our cold spell last few weeks (got down to about 22) but do seem to have a little yellowing of the leaves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for posting this! I live in Roseville, I am going to visit them.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousJuly 30, 2019

      I have 20 of these plants in my Lincoln, CA backyard. About half seem to be healthy and growing well. The largest are 4-5 feet across by 30 inches tall. I have 5-6 plants that have severely browned, (1/3 - 1/2) of the entire plant and the browning is continuing to spread. I'm told the problem is both too much water and not enough water. They get about 20-25 minutes every fourth day. They all were green, gorgeous and thriving at the end of April. I have no idea what is happening. It seems the browning is concentrated on the south side or sun side of the damaged plants. I'd give anything to be able to remedy this problem. When healthy their beauty is second to no other plant.

      Delete
  16. AnonymousMay 07, 2014

    This plant is marketed at Acacia Limelight and Fettucine here in Australia. Casuarina Glauca is marketed at 'Cousin Itt'. We have three 1.5m standards of the Casuarina Glaca and have a hedge of Limelights in raised beds..all beautiful plants

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have 2 growing in Tasmania and the frost here cutts it right back but does not kill the plant and after a good trim it takes off again and looks beautiful. Just bought 2 more today and will grow these in pots so I can move them out of the frost. Trial and error.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Are these plants deer resistant?

    ReplyDelete
  19. I never saw this plant until just recently at my neighbors house. It is beautiful, soft and very unique. I called several nurseries looking for it and finally found a place that sells them. Very hard to find and pricey. I bought 6 of them and love them. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. AnonymousMay 17, 2015

    I have had mine for about 6 months in a pot at the froun of the house, by the front door. Have watered 3 times, and in shade in the winter and sun late summer and soo far it is wonderful! Everone who comes to the door, touches it - as they think it might be plastic - I am in love with this plant - Roseville Ca

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Where did you buy it? I live in roseville.

      Delete
  21. AnonymousJuly 24, 2015

    I have had them for a year in a raised planter bed in full sun. They are beautiful and doing well except for one. The foliage is very thin and falling off. I can't find out why. Does anyone know?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am having the same problem with my only plant. I had it in a pot outside (I live in Port Townsend where we had a hot, dry summer), and dithered between giving it enough water and too much. It started losing its foliage by the end of the summer, except for one branch. Weird. Now it's naked looking. I brought it inside the house, but am not sure if that's good for it either. I've given it some bat guano and I don't water it until it feels sort of dry, so fingers crossed!

      Delete
  22. I also have one in a pot by the front door for about a year - It did well at first now it is getting thin and falling off also - I do water, but not very much in shade in the morning and sun afternoon? Any one know why???

    ReplyDelete
  23. I ran a big garden in Australia, and loved these plants.
    They are not really soft to the touch, but they look soft and feathery, great, and the 'cute' name is after the character "Cousin It" from the Adams family TV series, who had hair growing to the ground, covering his face, and sunglasses over the hair where the eyes would be.
    I saw a mature clump of these in native Australian gardens, in very poor nutrient and water environment, cascading densely over many, many square feet of hill, forming a lovely, otherworldly, bizarre 'terraforming' of their own, like some sort of lovely spreading alien, so so characterful it made me laugh.
    The 'limelight' varietal is pretty, and has a fresh green look (like the green of a butter lettuce), but like most 'pretty' varietals is not as robust and dense as the original.

    On Deborah's plant struggling - most Australian plants do get leggy over time, its just what they do. I would consider cropping it back hard, changing the soil, and perhaps add more natural water retention (mulch/compost), or 'water retainer' If that fails, give it more sun.
    Most of all, make sure you water deep and less, rather than regular light sprinkling.
    Aussie plants seek water obsessively. If you water them deep, they grow deeper roots. But if you water only the top few inches of soil, and do that too frequently, their roots will head towards the surface, and then fry when you forget to water, or on a hot day

    ReplyDelete
  24. Or look for another plant - Casuarina glauca 'Cousin It'
    Unique, strange, fun! This popular plant has a character all of its own, with fine 'hairy' strands of evergreen cascading foliage. Use as a groundcover or feature plant in rockeries, where it will spread to 1m across but only 10cm high. Low maintenance.

    ReplyDelete
  25. AnonymousMay 29, 2016

    Am looking for answers--my poor Cousin Itt has lost almost all leaves. It's just a few sparse thin "branches". Maybe overwatered? Will it ever come back? Will transplanting help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Need a lot more info to even begin to guess. Where are you? How long and in what situation is your plant planted?

      Delete
  26. I have this plant for a couple of years now and it is now very tall, about 12 feet. It is planted in the ground and survived about five winters here in PDX I later got two other smaller plants that are doing just as well. I would like to know if there is a way to propagate this plant other than with seeds? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I purchased one here in PDX late last year. Having very cold winter. I brought it inside (in a pot) until warmer weather came. Instructions on plant "propagation prohibited"). I am a novice about this plant so will see how it grows. So pretty.

      Delete
  27. AnonymousMay 31, 2017

    I purchased 2 in fall of 2016. Both are struggling. Both are in large pots. We live in Tulare County in the mountains in California, One gets morning sun and afternoon shade. The other gets the sun only in the afternoon. The one with morning sun is doing better than the one that gets afternoon sun. We have mild winters and HOT summers. We have had them for almost a year and they do not look any better (if not worse) than the day they were planted. We do not know what to do with them?? Purchased in Visalia Calif.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there. I haven't grown this plant for several years now, so I'm of no help. My friend Kris who blogs at https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/ has several in the ground (Los Angeles area) that look great. You might turn to her blog for ideas. Good luck!

      Delete
  28. I have six plants in full sun in southern California. Three do well but the other three (in another area) all have the bottom "branches" turning brown and then losing the growth altogether. Is there something I can do to stop this from happening? all are watered from bottom up with ground hose sprinkles

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm afraid I'm of no help. Try checking out the blog Late to the Garden Party, she's in SoCal and has had success...
      https://krispgarden.blogspot.com/

      Delete
  29. my cousin it has been in the ground for about 12 months and was beautiful, it is now dying from the bottom up, Help, I am in queensland australia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mine have all passed on...I am afraid I'm of no help! My climate means growing them as annuals or in a container, it's a little hopeless.

      Delete
  30. Hello that plant isn't the cousin it. It is either the Acacia cognata Mini Cog or a River Wattle (Acacia cognata) 'Limelight'. The cousin it has pine like leaves; cousin it info can be found athttps://www.anbg.gov.au/gnp/interns-2005/casuarina-glauca.html and http://www.landsdaleplants.com.au/plant/cousin-it/ and http://www.gardeningwithangus.com.au/casuarina-glauca-cousin-it-sheoak/ and other sites but all those plants are lovely, I have them all in my native Australian garden.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hello, A Cousin It plant is a Casuarina Glauca and has different foliage to the Acacia Cognata. I live in Australia and have both in my garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cousin It in the USA (Acacia Cognata) is a different plant to Cousin It in Australia (Casuarina Glauca).

      Delete
  32. AnonymousJuly 20, 2020

    Many Australian natives are sensitive to phosphorus- a common ingredient in commercial fertilisers. Phosphorus toxicity may cause browning of the leaves, so a nitrogen-only fertiliser may be preferable. Acacias generally don't like frost, excess humidity or water-logging. It's also worth noting that many Acacias are not terribly long-lived plants, even under ideal conditions. They are a very varied and beautiful group of plants though, and well worth growing :)
    I find them extremely low maintenance- but I'm in South Australia, so our hot, dry summers and poor soils are perfect for them, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I live a mile from the coast in San Diego. I planted 3 a couple years ago. They won't stop growing. Unlike most people writing here my problem is how to severely prune it back. Fantastic plant.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I have a VERY LARGE cousin itt, while trimming it I noticed white sticky, glue like, spores on many branches. Does anyone know what it is and how to treat it..,

    ReplyDelete
  35. Finally! Someone mentioned my issue! Any help for this? I live in West Sacramento

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have 10 Cousin Itts in my back yard. For the most part they are the healthiest plants I’ve grown. They were put in in 2016. They get no special care & get miracle grow about every other month because my soil is so rocky with clay at about 12 inches. You’ve got to watch for those white sticky aphids(?). Spray with your favorite bug killer & then again in about 10 days. Mine blossomed for the first time this year, tiny little pail yellow blossoms. Thought they were bugs. When the Itts start to yellow they get a shot of iron mixture the same as my citrus. My big dogs love to lie under them & scratch their backs with the low branches. Tough plants. Enjoy!
      Gramma W.

      Delete
  36. mine a looking a little light in color after all the rain. what can i do. I live El Dorado Hills.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!