1/16/2024 0 Comments Evergreen wax myrtleIron chlorosis (yellowing of the leaf tissue between the veins) is a problem in high pH soils. Infrequently waxmyrtles may have a leaf spot. They have no serious plant diseases or insect pests. Common waxmyrtle grows well in USDA zones 7 to 10. Cold symptoms include browning of leaves and sometimes defoliation, but stem tissue is not injured. Plants may be pruned (limbed up) to form an attractive small tree with a handsome gray, almost white bark.Ĭommon waxmyrtle is sensitive to cold. They do not require a lot of maintenance. Waxmyrtles are not particular about soil, but they prefer good drainage and slightly acidic soils.Ĭommon waxmyrtle should be planted in partial shade to full sun. Waxmyrtles make good beach plants, since they tolerate drought, sand, sun and salt spray. The waxy berries were used for making candles in Colonial times. Birds are attracted to wax myrtles, which they use for food and shelter. The foliage and berries are pleasantly aromatic. Wax myrtles are useful as screen plants, informal hedges, or roadside plantings. Landscape UseĬommon waxmyrtle ( Morella cerifera) growing as a hedge in a beach community. Growth RateĬommon waxmyrtle grows very fast, sometimes as much as 5 feet in height and width in a single growing season. Waxmyrtle plants are either male or female. The grayish-white fruits are small (⅛ inch wide), heavily coated with wax and massed in clusters on the stems of the previous season’s growth. Inconspicuous flowers appear in early spring, followed by fruit in late summer through winter. The leaves are glossy green and typically 1½ to 3 inches long and ⅓ to ¾ inches wide, sometimes bigger (4½ inches long and 2 inches wide). This broadleaf evergreen shrub or tree grows quickly to 15 to 20 feet high and wide. Its range is from New Jersey to Florida and westward to Texas. Photo by Karen Russ, ©2007 HGIC, Clemson ExtensionĬommon waxmyrtle or Southern bayberry ( Morella cerifera formerly Myrica cerifera) is native to South Carolina and other southeastern States. or they can be limbed up into a handsome small evergreen tree, revealing the smooth gray, almost white bark.Waxy gray berries of common waxmyrtle ( Morella cerifera). They are perfect for naturalizing but are also at home in more formal landscapes where they can be pruned into a handsome evergreen hedge as in the Herb Garden at the National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. Their ability to sucker into colonies is ideal for bank or shoreline stabilization and they are quite useful in wetland restoration gardens and riparian buffer plantings. They prefer acidic soils but will prosper in sandy, loam and even heavy clay soil. Tolerance of salt and salt spray makes them an excellent plant for use near the coast and Chesapeake Bay. Their roots contain nitrogen fixing bacteria producing the needed nitrogen to allow the Wax Myrtle to thrive in extremely poor, infertile soils. Wax Myrtles are adaptable shrubs tolerant of poor sterile soils, high winds, waterlogged soils, salt and salt spray and can grow in sun or part shade. The berries are covered in a thick whitish waxy coating from which bayberry candles are made. These persist throughout the winter providing beauty for our landscapes and food for all our wintering songbirds. In fall the females produce small round pewter-gray fruits that are densely clustered along the branches. The narrow wedge-shaped leaves are a lustrous olive green and if you look closely, you can see they are dotted on both the upper and lower surface with yellow and brownish resin glands that yield the spicy bayberry aroma when rubbed or crushed ( hmmm, that wonderful smell). All parts of the shrub are delightfully aromatic, with a strong bayberry fragrance. They offer a handsome fine-textured, billowy habit growing quickly to about 10 to 15’ in height but are capable of reaching 25’. Not only are Wax Myrtles a beautiful native evergreen (large shrub or small tree depending on how you prune it) but they are also tremendously adaptable and easy to grow. Our evergreen Wax Myrtle or Southern Bayberry ( Myrica cerifera) is handsome in every season of the year but it particularly sparkles in the winter after the leaves of deciduous trees have fallen leaving a gray and brown landscape. By Betsy Washington, Northern Neck Chapter
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |