Myrtus communis 'Variegata'

Such a delightful plant! This 5-6' shrub has bright glossy-green leaves margined in a showy creamy-white. Summer brings abundant white blooms which are sweetly scented. The blossoms give way to tiny blue-black fruits which are used to make 'Mirto', a much loved herbal liqueur drunk all over Sardinia. This fine evergreen shrub is perfect for specimen planting or formal hedges. This a very choice plant, great for Mediterranean and Xeric gardens. S/M-D/GDr

Pretty selection of a popular myrtle, the fragrant leaves, glossy green with creamy white margins, creating a lovely background for the abundant, small, white summer flowers -- also fragrant. A medium sized, bushy shrub, reaching 8-10 ft tall and wide, these are easily trimmed or sheared. Useful as a hedge or specimen in the sunny garden. Drought tolerant once established and frost hardy to 10F, USDA zone 8.

Of all the world's fragrant plants, myrtle probably has my favorite scent. Olivier Filippi in The Dry Gardening Handbook accurately describes it as "both pungent and fruity." But just as importantly, it is a very "natural" scent and not something I could imagine getting an allergic reaction to! Myrtle has also been an important plant in medicine, cooking, and lore going all the way back to ancient times - for example, a concoction distilled from its leaves was said to have power to restore youth to the elderly. However, not being old enough to feel like we need to try this yet, we mostly appreciate it for its great ornamental qualities; as it is seen too infrequently in Pacific Northwest gardens. With deep green, evergreen leaves it always looks neat and tidy. In mid to late summer the plant is covered in showy white flowers, which are followed by dark berries! Myrtle is very easy to grow, and will tolerate sun or part shade. Being from the Mediterranean it is very drought tolerant, and useful in water-wise plantings. Here we offer the most common variegated form, which is also smaller and less vigorous than average for the species. In fact, it tends to want to be somewhat spreading and struggles to reach 18" tall for us so far. I guess this ought to be no surprise as the foliage is beautiful and edged with a lot of white! Perfect for a container.

Variegated green and white leaves with a semi-weeping habit..aromatic leaves and showy white flowers..scented leaves used to flavor meat..good for bonsai