Myrtle Tree
A Comprehensive Gluttonous Gardener Plant Care Guide
In the language of flowers, Myrtle symbolises love, fertility and innocence. It is also thought to have aphrodisiac qualities, which may be why it has traditionally been used in bridal bouquets.
Myrtle has famously been included in royal wedding bouquets since Queen Victoria’s time, and she decided that every royal bride thereafter should have a myrtle bush planted at Osborne House to commemorate their wedding.
The delicate white blooms of the myrtle tree are crowned by a mass of gold-tipped stamens that gleam in full sun. The flowers are at their best during the popular wedding months of July and August, but carry through into the autumn, when they are followed by black berries.
In a nutshell
Evergreen
Fragrant
Flowers
Tree
Planting
Planting
Remove the coir circle from around the base of the plant as soon as it arrives and water well. For the best results, plant the myrtle outside in late spring in a well-drained, sheltered position, either in the ground or in a pot to give it the best chance of establishing plenty of roots before colder weather sets in.
Watering
Water well after planting and during each growing season. If it is in a container, ease off watering from late August onwards, and dry off almost completely before overwintering.
Feeding
After planting, spoil your myrtle with a generous helping of mulch or potash-rich tomato food fertiliser. Repeat your generosity every year after pruning, and your myrtle will repay you with hearty growth, glossy leaves and abundant flowers.
Pruning
Myrtle is a very self-sufficient shrub which needs little maintenance and light pruning. The best time to prune is in mid-spring, when the chance of frost has hopefully passed, and before the new growth appears. Simply remove any damaged, diseased or dead shoots at the base, and any badly-positioned shoots that might spoil the overall shape of your plant.
Winter
If your myrtle is in a container, prepare it for overwintering by battening down the hatches and ensuring it is placed in a sheltered position before the weather turns icy. A warm wall under the eaves of a house is ideal.
If your myrtle has been planted in the ground rather than a container, and it has lived through an extremely cold winter, you may find some of the foliage appears scorched. Don’t despair though, simply trim off any damaged leaves before it starts to put on new growth in the spring.