Wanda, ? about your Pacific Wax Myrtle!
buddyben
15 years ago
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wanda
15 years agobuddyben
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Wax myrtle advice needed
Comments (5)I am, by no means, an expert on this shrub, but I have a great number of them on my property, all having grown in wild. They tend to grow on the edges of woodland, which says to me that they need some sun. I see them in my neighborhood in full sun, and in our area, that's ALOT of sun. The most common way of pruning and shaping them here is to arborize them: choose a few large stems that are growing in pleasing angles, and then remove all the branches on them from the ground up to the desired height. Remove all the other stems by cutting them to the ground. The ones around our area that get regular shearing look unpleasantly wild and very woolly (in my opinion). I would give the plant time to form its own natural crown. It won't take long. I assume you know that they sucker quite alot, which is the only reason I leave them in wild situations. They are very attractive shrubs otherwise....See MoreWax Myrtle and Muskogee Crape Myrtle in Massachusetts?
Comments (5)There are two different species of Wax Myrtle (Northern Wax Myrtle and Southern Wax Myrtle). The Northern is semi-evergreen to deciduous; Southern one is deciduous. Northern one would probably is a better choice for you. Regarding the Crape Myrtles, many are fine to zone 6b/7a. Most all of mine survived...even after the Winter from he// (deep snow probably helped with that btw). The thing is, you need to consider heat requirements (as well as cold minimums). If a zone does not experience enough Summer heat, the wood may not properly ripen. So ironically, there are many semi-tropicals that will grow robustly in the Mid-Atlantic zone 7ish climates that do less well in Pacific NW (Zone 8+ climates). Crapes have a relatively high, Summer heat requirement. It's July, see any in bloom around you. Finally, you specifically wanted a 'tree'. Crape may be a viable option for you as a shrub (with some degree if annual dieback), but not sure if a tree is possible. Give it a try and good luck!...See MoreHow tall does Pacific Wax Myrtle really get?
Comments (3)in coastal southern oregon and northern california they can become small trees to 40' tall (in exceptional circumstances). more commonly and more likely away from the coast in warmer drier areas you are more likely to get a multi-stemmed large shrub to 15' feet or so at most with acid, well-drained soil, some summer water, and afternoon shade. they respond well to heavy pruning and at least in coastal areas will even make good formal hedges....See MoreGrowing Pacific Wax Myrtle Hedge in Vancouver BC
Comments (17)I disagree with the statement: "...since a native plant, poses no issues with invasive seeding such as both Portuguese and English laurel are prone to do." We planted several Pacific Wax Myrtles in a native garden many years ago and now have wax myrtle seedling popping up every where. So they can become a problem in other peoples flower beds. Both of the evergreen cherries are shade tolerant, the English more so than the Portuguese, so they are problems in wood lots that the wax myrtle wouldn't be. I like wax myrtle more so than the two evergreen cherries because it is native and has smaller leaves. But it has its problems. The wood is brittle breaking under heavy snow loads and with Vancouver B.C being at the mouth of the Frazier River with Artic flows coming down that valley, you get lot more snow than on Vancouver Island. The fall/winter of '10/11 caused a lot of damage to our myrtle with leaf kills, even whole stems, and the snow flattened the bushes. That spring we had to go in an remove all the broken and dead branches. Something that doesn't happen with the two cherries. Portuguese Cherry doesn't get as big as the English Cherry. Its leaves are not that much bigger than the myrtle's. I also noticed that it doesn't have any where near the invasive seedlings that the English cherry has. It might also be found at local nurseries more so than myrtle....See Morehoovb zone 9 sunset 23
15 years agowanda
15 years agobuddyben
15 years agoSK
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