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Common Myrtle advice

bedroomstudiosbedroomstudios Posts: 3
in Plants
Hi,

I'm after some advice as regards our common myrtle that's looking almost dead which I'm blaming on the snow we had back in December - it laid on top of it for a week or more.

The bush itself is approx 30 years old and stands 8-10 feet tall, it has become very rangy over the years, there's very little leaf cover in the centre of the plant but in all that time it's never looked like this.

If I were to remove all the branches with dead brown leaves on, there wouldn't be an awful lot left to be honest.

I would like it to be slightly reduced in height and much thicker in the middle so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.



 

Posts

  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Have just seen some small Myrtle plants at the local Garden Centre today. They had obviously had a difficult time  but were recovering. Not something I would buy, sadly it won't grow locally to me the winters are too cold. I recall planting one in a garden years ago it survived the first winter but gave up year two.
    My only advice would be to check just how far down you need to go before you find it is alive. Could you scratch the stem to check for green? Not sure if this is possible with Myrtle.
    If it is rocking in the ground it is likely to be dead. Hopefully there are other forum members who grow it and can help further.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • AsarumAsarum Posts: 661
    I have a Myrtus communis subsp tarentina which is the smaller variety, about 13 years old and was 120cms high. The top branches obviously suffered last winter, but I could see it was still alive at the base, so I cut it down to 30cms. It is sprouting like mad, especially just above ground level so I have even rubbed some buds off. I hope yours does the same. 
    East Anglia
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I have an ordinary one too that suffered badly last winter. 
    Been fine for 25ish years but it took a bad hit.
    I've pruned off many dead branches, but there's still a lot that's alive and I noticed today some tiny new buds starting to grow.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • pr1mr0sepr1mr0se Posts: 1,193
    I had what was a very healthy plant (about five years old) but the harsh weather last December clearly affected it.  The less protected side of it died - crispy leaves and dead wood.  I have cut all the dead areas back, and there are signs of new growth.  I hope that it will survive such drastic "pruning".
  • bedroomstudiosbedroomstudios Posts: 3
    Many thanks to you all for your replies, it's much appreciated.

    I will endeavour to investigate the condition of the branches as has been suggested and will give it, at the very least, a good pruning. It really has got way too tall so perhaps cutting it back a bit will help on both accounts.

    Thanks once again for your advice.
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