Myrtles are one of the most ancient Mediterranean plants. They grow very old, but they also grow veeerrrry slowly. And they’re not quite as robust – at least in my experience – as one would think.
Over the past three years I lost two of them and managed to keep two others alive only with difficulty.
Reasons for losing them? Search me. It seems to be a matter of a very fine balance between too much water and too little water as well as too much sun and too little sun.
Myrtus in the Garden
I planted the first myrtle out in the garden in half shade, where it spent the next five months stubbornly dying – despite or because of being watered regularly.
The next one was replanted from a pot where it thrived, into the garden where it took a full year to rally, looking all the while like a small half-naked waif. This spring I finally had enough and trimmed it back – sink or swim! – and that worked: it finally made new shoots and bloomed quite a bit. It still hasn’t grown much so it will probably be years before it reaches its potential of 150 x 150 cm – if ever.
Myrtus in Pots
Another myrtus was planted in a pot on the terrace in full sun. It had lots of flowers in June, berries in August, and seemed to thrive even though the pot did get rather hot in the sun. In the winter I moved it under the pergola to keep it from getting too much rainwater. In the spring I moved it back to its old spot – and it died.
I replaced with another plant that made some flowers but then lost all its leaves on the inside and started to dry up. I moved the pot to another spot with less direct sun, watered a touch more, and it seemed to rally – making new green leaves on top of all the brown ones. We will see.
So, is it easy to grow Myrtles? Not if you ask me. But try it anyway, their quiet beauty and the aromatic scent of their leaves make it worth it in my opinion!
Myrtus Requirements
In hot climates Myrtus likes to grow in half-shade – ideally with its roots in the sun. The soil should be dry, well-drained, light, and not too rich.
Planted out, Myrtus has no problem with drought (code de secheresse 4) but needs to be watered in a pot. It is hardy to – 10℃.
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