What to do with Acacia baileyana

I tend to grow an awful lot of things from seed without thinking through where I'll put them. For example, I currently have small plants of acacia longifolia, drummondi, pataczeki, cincinnata, retinodes, acinacea, julifera and large ones of boormanii, pravissima and baileyana. And that's the problem - the baileyana flowers well, and has a lovely glaucous leaf, but is getting far too tall for the greenhouse. I have pruned it, but has anyone ever managed it in the garden for any length of time? I know it's not as hardy as dealbata or pravissima, but is it worth a chance? Anyone tried boormanii outside?

 

Ask @strongylodon , he had one for a while if I remember correctly.
I dont think its very hardy, I did have one some years ago and it died on me, cant remember why.

 

I'm trying to think which Acacia it was that grew into a tree for me before one really cold winter wiped it out.

Edit, remember, A. melanoxylon, grew for years before it died, last winter Paraserianthes lophantha survived on my allotment, so they are going to get big before next winter.

 

I have had Acacia longifolia, A baileyana and baileyana purpurea, none survived temperatures of -5c without damage but -7/8c killed them outright. Trouble is that they all grow rapidly, If you don't get such cold (even brief) temperatures as I do here you maybe lucky.

 

Hi Caroline, it's a gamble, but that's what we do isn't it? The last three winters were pussycats...will things continue like that...who knows? Good drainage can swing things in your favour and swathing the trunks and lower branches in fleece can make all the difference. But given the Acacia's normal flowering period, it'll probably get frosted before the buds open, or during. How convinced are you by 'global warming' theories?

 

Hmmm, thanks for the responses - I may just give it a bash - after all, as @noisette47 says - it's all a gamble! And as @strongylodon says, they grow rapidly so trying again would not take long. I now live in a much milder (though wetter) place than I used to. My acacia costiniana there used to flower at random times and withstood some reasonably tough winters - but the real nasty back about 10 years ago (when was it? Got to -15 with us) even killed A. pataczeki which is supposed to be tough.