Myrtus communis
Plants have long played symbolic roles in human culture. Begonias say “beware,” while daisies whisper of innocence. And heavenly sweet myrtle symbolizes beauty, love, and union.
To me, that feels exactly right. With its fragrant foliage and abundant white blossoms, Myrtus communis creates a backdrop worthy of a wedding or celebration of romance.
If you’d like to add a little easygoing beauty to your landscape, sweet myrtle belongs at the top of your list. It’s a four-season stunner.
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From spring through fall, the profuse blooms and dark green, glossy leaves offer nonstop appeal.
And in winter, this evergreen shrub continues to shine, bringing color and texture to gardens in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 10.
For all its elegant display, common myrtle, as it’s also known, is a low-maintenance shrub.
It keeps its compact, dense form without constant pruning, and it blooms for a good, long time from spring into summer, with few pests or disease problems to trouble it.
Ready to fall in love? Let’s dive in. Here’s what we’ll cover:
What You’ll Learn
Though it’s generally thought to be native to Europe, North Africa, western Asia, and India, the exact origins of sweet myrtle are unclear.
Today, M. communis is grown wherever the climate permits.
The evergreen, glossy leaves are ovate to lanceolate with pointed tips and solid margins. Deep green on top and paler beneath, the leaves grow opposite one another along the stems and are about two inches long.
In spring, fragrant white or blush-pink flowers emerge, each about an inch across, with a tuft of showy stamens that attract pollinators.
By midsummer, the blooms give way to glossy, rounded berries in shades of deep blue, yellow, or white. These fruits contain compounds like myrtenyl acetate, linoleic acid, and oleic acid.
The bark is pretty special, too. Young branches are smooth and grayish-brown, but as they mature, the outer layer peels back in ribbons to reveal rich brown or tan inner bark.
Sweet myrtle has been used medicinally and in cooking for centuries.
We know the ancient Greeks used it medicinally, and since then, it has been used by cultures around the world to treat anxiety, urinary tract disorders, upset stomach, diarrhea, diabetes, hypertension, rheumatism, sinus issues, and insomnia.
It has antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties.
Quick Look
Common name(s): Common or sweet myrtle
Plant type: Evergreen woody shrub
Hardiness (USDA Zone): 8-10
Native to: Europe, India, North Africa, Western Asia
Bloom time / season: Spring, summer, fall
Exposure: Full sun
Soil type: Loamy, well draining
Soil pH: 6.0-8.3, slightly acidic to alkaline
Time to maturity: 20 years
Mature size: 16 ft wide x 16 ft high (depending on cultivar)
Best uses: Border, container, hedge, specimen
Taxonomy
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Myrtus
Species: Communis
The foliage can be used as a substitute for bay leaves and they have a sensational scent when crushed, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since this plant is closely related to eucalyptus.
In Greek mythology, sweet myrtle was associated with Demeter and Aphrodite, it is used as one of the four sacred plants in the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles, and featured in traditional German wedding bouquets.
It was introduced to the United Kingdom in the 1500s. It became extremely popular with royalty at the time and by the mid-1800s, it featured in all the royal weddings.
You can find shrubs planted during Queen Victoria’s reign still growing at Osborne House, the Queen’s country retreat on the Isle of Wight.
Both the species and the subspecies M. communis subsp. tarentina have been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
How to Grow
One of the many reasons to love sweet myrtle is that it doesn’t ask for much. It grows happily in a range of soils, can handle dry spells, and rarely needs special care.
But give it the right conditions, and this plant will reward you with fragrant blossoms, glossy green leaves, and sometimes even a flush of fruit.
The fruits are edible and birds love them! But if left unharvested, the dark berries will drop onto the ground and can stain wood, concrete, or stone, so keep that in mind when you chose a location.
For best results, follow these growing guidelines:
Climate
Sweet myrtle thrives in warm conditions and performs best in USDA Hardiness Zones 8 to 10.
Fall flowers are vulnerable to frost, so don’t count on autumn blooms in cooler regions.
Light
Full sun is best to encourage abundant flowering and fruiting. In areas with mild summers, sweet myrtle may bloom less reliably.
You’ll still enjoy the evergreen foliage, but the plant needs heat to produce its best display.
Soil
Loamy soil is ideal, but sweet myrtle is tolerant of moderately silty, sandy, or clay-heavy substrates as long as they drain well.
A soil pH between 6.0 and 8.3 – slightly acidic to slightly alkaline – is preferred. If you’re dealing with poor drainage, consider amending the soil or planting on a slope or raised bed.
Water
When it comes to water, less is more. Sweet myrtle can tolerate drought once established, but it can’t handle wet feet. If the roots remain too wet for too long, they will rot.
Allow the soil to dry out between waterings, and avoid planting in areas prone to standing water.
Those in dry areas could add an inch or two of organic mulch like leaf litter or wood chips to help retain moisture with the added bonus of suppressing weeds.
Container Growing
If you’d like to keep your sweet myrtle in a container, choose a dwarf cultivar. You’ll need a five-gallon pot as a minimum, but larger is better, and it must have drainage. Avoid light planters or you run the risk of the shrub tipping over in strong wind.
Keep in mind that myrtle’s drought tolerance comes from its deep roots, something it can’t achieve in a pot so you’ll need to water consistently and don’t let the soil go bone dry.
Cultivars to Select
Most of the time, you’ll find the species for sale at most garden stores.
If you prefer to shop online, you can find plants available at Nature Hills Nursery.
There are a number of cultivars and varieties available which can often be found at specialty retailers. Here are a few of my favorites:
Boetica
‘Boetica’ stands apart from other cultivars with its twisting branches lined with layers of pointed leaves, which give the plant a unique appearance that would be right at home in a whimsical Dr. Seuss tale.
The unusual leaf shape is caused by a viral infection, but don’t worry, it won’t spread to the rest of your garden. Use judicious pruning to highlight the twisted branches.
Also known as Roman or desert myrtle, ‘Boetica’ is more heat tolerant than the species and stays compact at about five feet tall and wide.
Buxifolia
‘Buxifolia’ is a low-growing cultivar with extremely small leaves. While it can spread six feet, it doesn’t grow taller than two feet or so, making it ideal as a ground cover or low border.
It’s every bit as drought-tolerant as the species and needs no pruning to keep it small.
Compacta
As the name suggests, this cultivar is compact. It’s a dwarf-sized version of the species, but unlike the wide-spreading ‘Buxifolia,’ it’s more upright.
‘Compacta’ reaches about three feet tall and wide at most. The leaves, flowers, and berries are the same size as the species.
Microphylla
Dwarf myrtle is a natural variety that grows about three feet tall and wide with proportionally smaller leaves than the species.
The leaves only grow about an inch long at most. It’s a nice option for containers or when you want a finer foliage option.
Tarentina
M. communis subsp. tarentina is a subspecies that evolved naturally to have a rounded shape on a compact form that typically stays about five feet tall and wide, though it can grow twice that size.
The leaves are more oval than those of the species, and the flowers are pink, followed by white berries.
Maintenance
During the first two years, it’s important to shape your young sweet myrtle into the form you want it to take.
If you’re aiming for a tree-like shape, remove the lower limbs to encourage the development of a central trunk and canopy.
Prefer a rounded shrub? Prune accordingly. This is also the time to start training a topiary if that’s your vision.
To maintain a dense, tidy habit, prune after the fruit has dropped. You can give the whole plant a light clip or selectively remove individual branches as desired.
If left unpruned, the plant may surprise you with a second flush of blooms in the fall.
When mature, the plant can reach up to 16 feet tall and wide, though it can stay about half that in most cases. If it starts to become larger than you want, you can prune it to maintain a more compact size.
This versatile shrub can be shaped into a formal topiary, a small ornamental tree, or left to grow naturally. Wherever you cut, the plant will respond by sending out new shoots, making it exceptionally easy to shape.
You can prune any time of year, but avoid doing so during times of drought or when the wood is frozen.
Don’t toss those cut branches, you can use them in vase arrangements to add elegant structure and fragrance.
Propagation
There are a few ways to propagate sweet myrtle. If you have access to a mature shrub, you can grow new plants from seeds or cuttings.
You can also purchase live plants from a nursery if propagation isn’t your preference. Cuttings tend to root readily, making this one of the easiest and most reliable options.
Let’s begin with the slower method: growing from seed.
From Seed
You can start a shrub either from seeds you’ve purchased or those you’ve harvested from ripe berries.
If you’re collecting the seeds, wait until the berries are completely ripe. They should feel soft when gently squeezed and display their mature color – typically deep blue or white.
Slice open the berries, pluck out the seeds, and rinse them. If you aren’t going to sow them right away, place the seeds on paper towels in a cool area and let them dry out.
Store them in a paper bag or envelope until you’re ready to sow.
In late winter or early spring, soak the seeds for 24 hours.
Fill a seed tray with a soil-free potting mixture and moisten it.
Scarify the seeds by rubbing them with a metal file.
Sow seeds three inches apart in the tray and set it on a heating mat at between 75 to 85°F in bright, indirect light. Keep the medium moist but not wet at all times.
Germination typically occurs within a few weeks. When the seedlings are about five inches tall, thin them to six inches apart.
Once they start branching, you can transplant them outdoors into their permanent home after hardening off.
From Cuttings
Propagation via cuttings results in a plant that is genetically identical to the parent, so it’s an effective method if you want to duplicate a favorite sweet myrtle shrub.
Semi-hardwood cuttings work best. Wait until the first flush of spring growth has hardened slightly, typically July or August, though fall works too.
Choose a healthy, pest-free branch that is firm but not rigid and has a pliable tip.
Take your six-inch cuttings in the morning, remove any flowers, and strip the leaves from the lower two-thirds. Keep the cut end in water while you prepare to plant.
Fill pots or a tray with soil-free potting mix and make holes four inches apart. Dip each cutting in rooting hormone, insert it one-third deep, and firm the mix around it.
Place the tray in bright, indirect light or outdoors in full sun. Keep the medium moist but not soggy. When you see new growth, that’s a clue that roots are developing.
When the cutting has produced at least one new branch, you can transplant outdoors.
Transplanting
Sweet myrtle isn’t fussy about being moved. It transplants well from containers into the ground with minimal fuss.
Start by digging a hole just slightly deeper and twice as wide as the plant’s current container. Mix some well-rotted compost into the removed soil to give the roots a nutritious boost.
Gently remove the plant from its pot and loosen the roots. Set it into the hole so it sits at the same depth it was growing in the container.
Backfill with the amended soil, water thoroughly, and add more soil if it settles.
Pests and Disease
Sweet myrtle is generally resistant to deer and fairly low maintenance when it comes to pests and disease. Here are a few to watch for:
Pests
Most pest problems are minor and easy to manage if the plant is healthy and growing in ideal conditions.
Scale
Scale insects are in the order Hemiptera and they vary widely in their appearance.
The ones that attack sweet myrtle will be flat and oval or slightly bumpy. All will have a protective waxy coating and will vary in color from white to black.
If you aren’t sure if it’s scale or some weird lump forming on the stems of your plant, try scraping them off. Scale will come off if you scrape them with your fingernail or a butterknife.
A small infestation is fairly easy to handle by scraping them off or wiping them with isopropyl alcohol.
Our guide to dealing with scale has more information.
Spider Mites
Spider mites love hot, dry conditions, just like sweet myrtle. Typically, it’s not the tiny pests that you notice but the webs they weave on the plant.
If you notice fine webbing on the leaves, it’s likely there are spider mites around.
The pests themselves are about the size of the tip of a pencil and are typically tan or red. Gently spray them off the plant with a steady stream of water.
You can learn more about controlling spider mites here.
Thrips
Thrips are small, slender insects that grow to about 1/16th of an inch long. They use their sap-sucking mouthparts to puncture the epidermal layer of the plant to suck the cell sap out.
This causes a dusty or silvery look to develop on the leaves and the flowers may be brown or streaked. You can knock these off the plant with a fine stream of water or you can prune off heavily infested areas.
Disease
Chances are you won’t encounter disease problems when growing sweet myrtle.
Sweet myrtle isn’t prone to many diseases, but root rot, caused by oomycetes in the Phytophthora genus, is a potential problem in poorly draining soil.
Signs include wilting, yellowing, or browning leaves, symptoms that mimic drought stress. As the leaves die, they drop from the plant.
Once infected, the plant usually declines quite rapidly. To prevent it, plant in well-draining soil, avoid overwatering, and clean your tools between uses.
In early stages, you may be able to treat the infection with a Bacillus subtilis-based product like CEASE.
CEASE is available in one- and two-and-a-half-gallon containers at Arbico Organics.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions carefully.
Best Uses
Sweet myrtle is a versatile addition to the landscape. It works beautifully as a border or hedge, or you can let it shine as a standalone specimen.
It fits equally well in cottage-style or formal city gardens. Smaller cultivars are well-suited to container growing. If you live near the sea, this is a good choice, since the salt air doesn’t bother it.
Beyond its ornamental appeal, sweet myrtle offers a range of culinary uses. The fruits, flowers, and leaves are all edible.
The berries have a flavor reminiscent of juniper but milder, and they can be dried and used as a pepper substitute. The flavor stands up particularly well with pork and chicken.
As mentioned, you can use the dried leaves as a substitute for bay laurel. Try them raw in salads or sandwiches. The flowers are mild and aromatic, perfect as a garnish for desserts or salads.
Even the wood is useful. It imparts a rich, aromatic flavor when used for smoking food. And the essential oil, distilled from leaves and stems, is used in perfumes and traditional remedies.
Ain’t She Sweet?
Sweet myrtle is a low-maintenance, adaptable option for gardeners in warm climates, offering both beauty and utility.
With evergreen foliage that releases a spicy, sweet scent when touched and aromatic blooms in season, it’s a lovely addition to almost any garden.
Are you growing sweet myrtle? How do you use your plants? Fill us in on the details in the comments section below.
And for more information about growing shrubs in your garden, check out these guides next:
