Everything you need to know about growing myrtle

Looking for an aromatic plant to grow in your garden? Here are some useful facts about the cultivation of myrtle.

• Common myrtle is native to the Mediterranean, and south-west Europe.
• It's a shrub or small tree with oval, glossy and fragrant tough leaves.
• Its small white fragrant flowers are a light central tuft of stamens and are followed by blue-black resinous berries one centimetre in diameter.

• In our regions of cold winters, grow myrtle in a pot or in a sheltered place, such as a greenhouse.
• Opt for dwarf or variegated forms, less robust, but more ornamental, if you want to put them in your indoor gardens away from the frost.
• Put a few sprigs on roasted meats or barbecue, near the end of cooking to add a spicy note.

• "Flore Plena" with its dual flower is a rarity; the dwarf myrtle ( Myrtus communis compacta), also known as "Nana", "Microphylla" or "Jenny Reitenbach") is perfect for topiaries, with its small and dense foliage, and white fruits.
• 'Variegata' has leaves edged in white.

• Myrtle needs sun and well-drained soil, limestone neutral.
• It tolerates drought.
• Most myrtles hold out at -10 ° C (14 ° F), but the variegated forms do not withstand temperatures below -5 ° C (23 ° F).

• Sow in autumn.
• Perform semi-hardwoodcuttings for varieties with specific names during the summer.

• Prune in spring to give them shape, before the arrival of new shoots.
• Repot and fertilize potted plants in the spring.
• Add some fertilizer every month.
• Water when soil is dry to the touch.

• Plants grown inside the home can be attacked by caterpillars of some butterflies.

• You can air dry the buds, flowers, fruits and leaves.
• Entire branches are distilled to obtain the essential oil used in perfumery, aromatherapy and in products for the skin.