Myrtle (Myrtus communis) represents a large family of aromatic plants, at least a few members of whose are quite known worldwide: gum tree, tea tree, clove, guava, allspice, bottlebrush and so forth. The majority of them contain essential oils in the wood and evergreen leaves, and produce fragrant flowers with tons of spectacular stamens. That is exactly the case of the common myrtle, which can add one more nice characteristic to the list: edible and tasty black or yellowish berries. They are used to make an aromatic liquor in the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, also famous for beautifully singing shepherds.
One or two young plants of myrtle is enough to reinforce your well-being. Myrtle requires moist but well-drained loamy soil. Too much moisture can kill the plant as it is prepared to withstand longer periods of drought rather than flood. Myrtle loves sunlight and must be placed in a very well-lit location but protected from strong and cold winds. The longer and warmer the summer the bigger the chances for abundant flowering and -maybe- fruiting. When the fall comes along with the danger of first frost, the potted myrtle must be taken indoors and placed in a spacious, bright and not too warm location to avoid shedding leaves. It happens quite often if myrtle is kept in warm but rather dark conditions, i.e. our homes in winter.
The twigs of myrtle can be pruned and formed into different shapes, which is good news for all bonsai lovers and all who like creating, including their own happy life. Myrtle is pest-free and can grow for a lot of years reaching its ultimate size of 1.5-2 m -in our climatic conditions- after 10-15 years of wise care.
The shepherds in the video-clip accompanying today's post sound awesome. I only hope, they do not curse myrtle for their unfulfilled requests and expectations. I do wish I understood what they are singing about.