Forum home› Plants
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Common Myrtle

TenNTenN Posts: 184
in Plants
I'm having real difficulty finding a Myrtle in any of the garden centres and nurseries close to me in Leicestershire and online seems to be a bust too. Can anyone think of any reasons why? Mine got taken out by the pre-Christmas freeze, no sign of life at all, and I'm keen to replace it. Has anyone seen one recently?

Posts

  • Butterfly66Butterfly66 Posts: 970
    Probably the same reason you’re looking for one. Nurseries have had high losses of some plants too due to the weather last summer and then during the winter
     If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero
    East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited May 2023
    Since moving to Scotland I have successfully used ebay to buy baby, hard to find plants.
    Search UK only .

    There are 4 just now..... Myrtus communis...common name Myrtle.

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=Myrtus+communis+plants&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&rt=nc&LH_PrefLoc=1

    However if you have lost them once to cold weather I am not sure it makes sense to plant them again.
    Maybe find something less tender.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    edited May 2023
    Have you tried scraping the skin from a branch near the bottom of the shrub to see if there's any sign of green beneath?
    Mine also appeared to have mostly died after 20 years, but yesterday I noticed a few tiny buds appearing on some 'dead' branches.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    I've explored all the way down and there's nothing close to green. It had been in the same spot for over 10 years, survived the Beast from the East, just took those days Leicester went down to double minus digits badly.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    What a shame.
    Mine came through the Beast from the East without too much damage, but last winter though far less severe seems to have done the most damage.
    Last year it was stunning when covered in flowers. Now it's just a load of bare branches, but at least there are signs of regrowth.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Slow-wormSlow-worm Posts: 1,630
    Last year was an odd one, I lost my nemesias, some carnations, and osteospermum - all of which survived every other winter, the nemesias always stayed green too. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    With most plants, it's not temperature alone that causes problems - it's a combination of factors. Wet then freezing quickly, isn't the same as frost in drier conditions, even a fairly hard frost of beyond minus 7 or 8 etc. That's what happened this winter. 
    Many plants that aren't 100% hardy [ie down to minus 15 - minus 20] can cope with minus 10 or 11, or even further, if the ground is drier, and it's a gradual change to that temp. That's not the same as being mild - ie around 5 degrees or more, and then dropping ten or twelve degrees or more,  in a short space of time. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @TenN I saw some for sale at Reg Taylors Southwell Notts last week. They had been cut back and were shooting well. Not suprising they were in their greenhouse. I doubt they will put them outside.
    Personally I think it is just not worth the risk in south notts.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • TenNTenN Posts: 184
    Thanks, found one yesterday in a place I should have gone to in the first place. Decent 3' for £40. I think this one's going to stay in its pot then live indoors from October on. 
Sign In or Register to comment.