Myrica gale

Myrica and its various species have many names: bog myrtle, sweetgale, wax myrtle, even bayberry. All these names are for one genus that can be found worldwide, and for some reason nurseries don't grow them. So if you want one you have to search hard, and you will probably end up at a specialist nursery selling rare and unusual plants. That is such a pity! Because when I first saw a few myrica plants in a botanical garden it was love at first sight. Such neat and compact plants with handsome foliage and quite uniform habit. I made every effort to find a couple of growers of these plants so you can have them, too.

Bog myrtle is a deciduous shrub found in moist and constantly waterlooged areas all around Northern Hemisphere. It makes small, inversely lance-shaped or narrowly obovate, dark green to slightly blue-green leaves, and fragrant flowers from mid spring. The flowers are yellow green to golden yellow, erect catkins which open from mid spring for a few weeks, releasing an interesting sweet and spicy fragrance, typical for ericaceous plants. Both this perfume and that of crushed leaves keep biting insects at bay.

Bog myrtle loves moist and wet sites. Grow it at the edge of a pond or a slow stream bank. It needs fertile, acid soil, and preferably full sun. Pruning is possible in early spring or after flowering in early summer. It grows rather slowly or moderately (5-15 cm per year), forming a small, neatly shaped shrub. It belongs to the hardiest plants on Earth, surviving temperatures lower than -45°C (USDA zone 1).

Last update 09-01-2017