Hi Joe. I have seen some pictures of the Acacia's on SSI, and they are very impressive, many different species as well. I guess no one would know about this tree, including me, if my car didn't break down and I had to take a taxi home. He took me the looong way around, and just by chance this tree was in bloom and I noticed it. I had the cab pull around and I took a few snap shots. Here is one of the first. I recently sent the original pictures to Ian. I have no idea who planted it or why. It is on the grounds of some sort of church.

I have many nice offspring I grew from seed collected from that tree. It's a beauty! Cheers, Joe

My A. dealbata var. subalpina has got to be just about as tall as the Bremerton tree, but it is a lot skinnier. It set some seed this year for the first time. It is also putting up root suckers. I didn't really plan on that! Various places in the Northwest have had severe freezes with temperatures close to all time record lows since 1990. Eastern Washington in Dec 1996. Southwestern BC in Jan 2004. Southwest Oregon in December 1998. All of these freezes were less severe in the Seattle area. That is why I think the climate is not really getting warmer overall in our region, in a way that will enable us to get away with long term survival of more tender plants. The Seattle area is long overdue. That having been said... I also think the Pacific Northwest's best microclimates for marginally hardy plants, as well as the most idyllic gardening spots, are on the islands in the Strait of Georgia. As you go north from Vancouver, influence from the outflow of the Fraser Canyon diminishes, and the higher Coast Mountains more effectively block cold air from getting west. Tofino and Estavan point are mild, but cooler year-round than the southwest coast of Oregon and too stormy for my taste!

Did you acquire any of these?