Myrtle Plant
The Extravagant Myrtle Plant
The wax myrtle plant is possibly the most popular species in the family, though there are many other types who are quite beautiful in their own right. The crape myrtle and the Greek myrtle plant are two more favorites, but we will focus mostly on the first and most common types. This Native American myrtle plant is dicotyledonous and its blooms rather small and inconspicuous, but the species is long lived and lush. Most commonly utilized as a landscaping shrub or hedge, a health wax myrtle plant will gain some ten feet in height over its twenty year life span. This, of course, depends greatly upon how fairly he is suited to his environment. You can help your wax myrtle to stay healthy and strong by following a few of these care tips.
Though the wax myrtle plant insists upon full sun exposure in order to sustain, it will often balk and suffer during drought periods. This makes it a bit more temperamental than many people are prepared to deal with, but if you have an underground or automatic sprinkling or irrigation system the worry will be far less. The wax myrtle plant grows in an erect manner and also benefits from a light trimming just after the blooming season is over. Spring is when you can expect your shrub to give its small white flowers, and this bloom will rarely last past early summer. Replacing the little flowers are small blue fruit which are inedible and rather plentiful. They are not a common food source to many animals, though a bird or two may be found pecking and pulling at them from time to time.
The myrtle plant does not show fall colors but remain plush green and shiny throughout the year. If your home is prone to harsh winters and the chances are good for temperatures below -3 degrees Fahrenheit then this beauty is not for you. He needs a lot of sun and quite a lot of moisture, but deep freeze is not his cup of tea. If you can’t guarantee your myrtle plant at least 4 and ½ months worth of frost free warmth than you should definitely reconsider attempting to raise it.
Propagation of the myrtle plant is at least one aspect which is easily negotiated. New plants can be grown be way of fresh root cuttings, potted seedlings, and via seed planting. When your myrtle is growing outdoors it will spread through both root generation and seed fertilization, making it a pretty foolproof ground cover to grow. Just remember to keep trees trimmed in order to give your myrtle plant all of the sunlight that it desires and keep the roots damp to moist at all times.