Wax myrtle

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; growth is denser in sun.

Water

Water regularly while establishing. Established plants tolerate moderate drought as well as periodically wet soil.

Soil

Adaptable to sandy, loamy or clay soil, preferably acidic to neutral. Tolerates poor soil and occasional flooding, but avoid permanently stagnant ground.

Height

10-20 ft (3-6 m), occasionally taller

Spread

8-15 ft (2.4-4.6 m), wider if suckers are allowed to develop

Flowers

Small, inconspicuous greenish catkins in late winter or spring; male and female flowers are usually on separate plants.

Foliage

Evergreen. Narrow, olive-green leaves with scattered teeth toward their tips; aromatic when crushed and dotted with resin glands.

Growth

Fast in warm conditions with adequate moisture.

Care needed

Low

• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Fragrant

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.8 ft (0.54 m)

2. After 1 year

   6 ft (1.8 m)

3. After 2 years

   10 ft (3 m)

4. After 3 years

   14 ft (4.2 m)

5. After 5 years

   15 ft (4.5 m)

   full size

About 3 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Native to

the US

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply during dry spells through the first growing season; continue during prolonged drought until well established.
• Apply 2-3 in (5-8 cm) of organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Skip routine feeding unless growth or a soil test indicates a deficiency; this shrub fixes nitrogen through root associations.
• Remove unwanted root suckers promptly if you want a single shrub rather than a thicket.
• For fruit, grow a female plant with a male nearby; seed-grown plants may not reveal their sex until flowering.
• Keep this resinous shrub away from buildings in wildfire-prone gardens.

Pruning. Prune in late winter or early spring, removing damaged branches and selectively thinning crowded stems. To make a small tree, gradually remove lower branches and basal shoots; frequent shearing reduces its natural form and fruit display.

Late winter

Thin crowded growth and remove broken or cold-damaged branches once severe frost has passed.

Spring

Plant in colder parts of its range, water thoroughly and mulch the root area.

Late spring

Check for unwanted suckers and remove them at their point of origin.

Summer

Water young plants during dry weather and inspect foliage for scale insects or yellowing.

Autumn

Plant in mild climates while soil remains warm; leave fruiting branches for birds.

Winter

Check exposed plants after storms and avoid unnecessary trimming while fruit remains.

• Plant as an informal evergreen screen along a boundary where its full width can develop.
• Combine with yaupon holly and native grasses for a loose coastal planting that tolerates wind and salt spray.
• Use as the evergreen backbone of a wildlife border, with fruiting shrubs and open spaces for birds.
• Train a multi-stemmed specimen as a small tree to provide light shade beside a lawn or sitting area.

Garden styles it suits: Coastal, Southern, Wildlife garden, Native hedgerow, Low-maintenance and Woodland.

Plant it with: Yaupon holly, Inkberry, American beautyberry, Switchgrass, Little bluestem and Saw palmetto.

Wildlife: Waxy fruits are an important food for birds, including yellow-rumped warblers in its native range. Dense branches provide cover and nesting sites; female plants need pollen from a male to produce a good fruit crop.

• Cold injury: foliage may brown or drop near its northern limit. Choose a sheltered site and wait until spring growth begins before cutting back damaged wood.
• Scale insects: inspect stems and leaf undersides if growth weakens or sooty mould appears. Prune out heavily infested shoots and use a labelled horticultural oil when appropriate.
• Yellow leaves on alkaline soil: check soil pH before feeding. Move the plant to more suitable soil if alkalinity causes persistent iron deficiency.
• Excessive suckering: cut or dig out unwanted shoots while small, or give the plant space to form a natural thicket.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs or horses. It is not generally regarded as poisonous to people, but the leaves and wax-coated fruits are not ordinary edible garden produce; do not encourage children or pets to eat them.

Where it spreads. Can spread aggressively by root suckers and form thickets in sandy coastal sites in the southeastern United States, where it is native. This spreading habit is not the same as a non-native invasive listing.

• Northern bayberry (Morella pensylvanica)

  Usually smaller and deciduous or semi-evergreen, with broader leaves. It is substantially more cold-hardy than wax myrtle.

• Sweet gale (Myrica gale)

  A smaller deciduous shrub of boggy ground, with broader, duller leaves and terminal cone-like fruit clusters rather than wax myrtle's small round fruits along the stems.

• Firetree (Morella faya)

  Has darker, glossier leaves with more regularly toothed margins and fruits that ripen dark purple-black rather than pale waxy grey-blue.

The name wax myrtle refers to its aromatic, myrtle-like foliage and the wax coating on its fruits; cerifera means wax-bearing.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer to preserve the sex and characteristics of a selected plant. Seed propagation is slower and less predictable; remove the waxy fruit coating and give cleaned seed a period of moist chilling before sowing.

Accepted botanical name

Morella cerifera

In the US and Canada

Native in the lower 48 states and Puerto Rico. Introduced in Hawaii.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0) and USDA PLANTS. The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.