Perhaps you have noticed a tree with fragrant pink/white pom-pom like blossoms with fern like foliage growing in your area.  You may have even thought about adding one to your landscape – Don’t!  Read on…..
Mimosa trees thrive in full sun to partial shade, and is adaptable to a variety of soil types.  It’s also fast growing and often develops multiple trunks, giving it an umbrella-like growth habit.  Depending on the variety, it can be 15′ – 40′ tall with a 20′ – 50′ spread.  It’s bi-pinnately compound leaves also provide filtered shade, and its flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies.
So with all those attributes, why am I not recommending adding this tree to your landscape?  There are several reasons:

• It’s becoming a category 1 invasive plant in Florida.
• It’s messy, and when flowers drop, they leave a sticky residue on cars, paved areas, and other plants.
• Branches are brittle and are prone to breakage during windy conditions.
• It’s highly susceptible to a soil-born fungus, which can kill the tree within 10-20 years after planting.
• It has pest problems, including attacks from cottony cushion scale, spider mites, and mimosa web worms.
• And, it’s roots develop suckers.

Need I say more?  This tree reminds me a lot like the Golden Rain Tree, which people want to plant, but shouldn’t.

For more information about the Mimosa Tree, click here.