Great shrub for winter cover!

If you need fast-growing, dense cover, this is your shrub! Birds love the waxy blue-gray berries as well as the evergreen (in Maryland), leafy boughs for refuge. Three years ago, I needed some screening in my front yard. In three years' time, the group of 4' baby waxmyrtles I planted have grown to 12' tall and about 8' wide. And they've done it in low-nutrient, sandy soil on a bone dry slope in mostly shade!

I didn't fertilize, but I did provide a little extra water during dry spells for the first 2 years. The second year they were getting a little leggy in the shade, so I pruned them back by about a foot (always being careful to prune back to crossing branches). They responded with denser form—exactly what I wanted for the screening I needed in that spot.

Southern Waxmyrtle (Morella cerifera) and its cousin, Northern Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica) are native to coastal areas of the eastern US. As their names suggest, the range of Northern Bayberry is indeed further north—the midAtlantic states up through Canada. While Southern Waxmyrtle claims coastal areas to the south, all the way down to Texas. In Maryland, we can grow either species. They are so similar in habit, in Maryland at least, that I usually use whichever one I can find.

I've seen conflicting reports about which one is more evergreen, probably due to how cold the winters are where it is being grown. Both are generally listed as semi-evergreen or evergreen. I tell clients to expect it to look a little thin or even to behave as a deciduous shrub during the first winter while it endures the stress of establishment. But once established, this is one tough cookie.

Birders will appreciate waxmyrtle's attraction to the Yellow-rumped Warblers. They apparently can survive almost entirely on bayberries, "a fruit which no other warbler can digest," according to Audubon, earning them the nickname "Myrtle warbler" (photo by Erica Weick). Other birds that enjoy these berries include tree swallows, cardinals, mockingbirds, catbirds, chickadees, vireos, bob whites, flickers, robins and finches.

Those of us who like to be a little lazy about fall cleanup take note: the tiny red-banded hairstreak butterfly uses wax myrtle as a host plant, laying single eggs on the underside of fallen leaves, according to Butterflies and moths of North America. I like Erica Weick's photo of this delicate creature, I think pictured here on a solidago (goldenrod)

My favorite way to use Waxmyrtle for screening is in a mixed border of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. This provides far more visual interest as well as a greater variety and length of cover and food sources for wildlife. Both Morellas are super-adaptable to a variety of clay or sandy soils, and can be grown in full sun to light shade.

Happy Winter planning!
Chris

P.S. This is a great time to get your design done with a shorter wait time for an appointment! Plan your new bed, get your plant shopping list decided, draw the shape for your bed and put down newspaper and mulch so that when spring arrives, the bed is ready to plant without needing herbicide to kill whatever used to grow there. Great planning ahead! :-) More info on consulting service here.