Prickly Moses

Prickly Moses is an easy-to-grow, medium shrub with showy yellow flowers. Their prickly branches provide great protection for small creatures.

Medium Shrub Healthy Soils Prickly Characters Suitable for Pots

Noongar Name: Mindaleny

Scientific Name: Acacia pulchella

Performance: Easy to grow

Size: Medium shrub with a maximum height 1.5m

Flower: Yellow

Flowering Time: Makuru – Kambarang (Jun – Oct)

Natural Distribution: Grows locally in the Perth region

: Acacia pulchella (CC BY 4.0) Ian McMaster

: Acacia pulchella (CC BY-NC 4.0) Ian McMaster

: Acacia pulchella – (C) Jason Pitman

Growing at a Glance

See Growing Guide for more detail

Position: Adaptable to sunny and light-shade positions

Watering: A waterwise, drought-hardy plant.

Feeding: Fertiliser not required.

Pruning: Generally not needed.

Growing Guide

Ideal Position

Prickly Moses is versatile, enjoying a range of positions. Suitable for denser plantings and will perform well in full sun or light shade.

Prickly Moses is ideally placed in the middle of your garden bed.

When to Plant and Watering

Plant young seedlings in Djeran (mid-Autumn) prior to the Makuru rains (Winter). Avoid planting in the hottest times of the year.
Seedlings should be watered twice a week over their first summer in the garden. It is important to ensure water penetrates down into the root-zone.
We recommend using a soil wetting agent as Perth soils are often ‘water repellent’, or do not absorb water effectively.
A layer of composted, coarse mulch can help in getting your garden started. It will help by reducing water loss and suppressing the growth of weeds.

Prickly Moses are waterwise, drought-hardy plants and do not require supplementary water once established.

Prickly Moses should be grouped with other waterwise, drought-hardy plants.

Feeding and Soil Care

Prickly Moses don’t need fertiliser because they are adapted to grow in our local soils, which are typically low in nutrients.
Plants will benefit from adding some vegetable-based compost (avoid those with manure) into the soil at planting.
As your garden develops, practice ‘cut and drop’ when you prune your plants. The leaf and branch material that falls to the ground slowly breaks down over time, releasing nutrients to help your garden to grow.

How to Prune

Prickly Moses generally don’t need pruning for shape, as their natural growth is usually attractive and/or interesting.
If part of the plant dies or grows in an undesired direction, prune from the base of the stem in question with a pair of secateurs or loppers.
You can also leave dead leaves and branches on the plant, as they provide valuable habitat and camouflage for insects.