Myrtle
Myrtus communis
ShrubSecondary
Production
A fragrant evergreen that shapes into dense hedges, feeds pollinators and yields edible berries. Tough once established, but young plants sulk in hard frost.
Tolerances & traits
- Strata
- Shrub
- Lifecycle
- Secondary
- Soil preference
- Loam, Sandy, Rocky
- Soil pH range
- 5.5 – 7.5
- Min. temperature
- -10°C
- Min. rainfall
- 450 mm/year
- Wind tolerance
- High
- Frost tolerance
- Medium
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Irrigation needed
- Medium
How to manage it
Aromatic evergreen for hedges, edible berries and pollinators; clips well and resprouts fast after cutting, so shape it hard each year.
Watch out for
Young plants are frost-tender and want shelter in their first winters; berries are edible but avoid ingesting large amounts of the essential-oil-rich leaves.
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