Other Names:  Tall Baeckea, syn. Sannantha virgata

Description:

A vigorous, hardy shrub suitable for coastal plantings or boggy sites, and makes a great hedge due to its attractive, dense foliage; masses of dainty white flowers in late spring and summer with a light honey scent; drought tolerant and very adaptable

Ornamental Features

Twiggy Heath Myrtle is covered in stunning clusters of fragrant white star-shaped flowers with chartreuse eyes at the ends of the branches from late spring to early summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. It has attractive green evergreen foliage which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The tiny needles are highly ornamental and remain green throughout the winter. The gray bark and brick red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

Landscape Attributes

Twiggy Heath Myrtle is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its relatively fine texture sets it apart from other landscape plants with less refined foliage.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Twiggy Heath Myrtle is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Rock/Alpine Gardens
• General Garden Use
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts
• Topiary
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Twiggy Heath Myrtle will grow to be about 10 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is an amazingly adaptable plant, tolerating both dry conditions and even some standing water. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is not originally from North America.

Twiggy Heath Myrtle makes a fine choice for the outdoor landscape, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.