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Aussie Native: Backhousia myrtifolia

15 years ago

Backhousia myrtifolia.. Commonly know as Grey Myrtle flowering now.

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Comments (10)

inga007
15 years ago
Lovely, starry, looking blossoms. Are they fragrant? Is it a bush, or tree?
I used to have a German Myrtle, in a pot, the flowers are a little alike, about a centimeter, but when I crushed the leaves the fragrance was lovely.
User
Original Author
15 years ago
They do look like that Inga good enough for a wedding bouquet.
Its a shrub in my garden about 2mts/6ft wide and 1.5mts/5ft high.
I am not sure if it has a fragrance I will go smell later when I go out to mow the grass.

The Lemon Myrtle that is in bud now, that has a beautiful fragrance lemons of course, they make any things from those leaves.
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funnelweb
15 years ago
Arrr Misty, your camera technique is indeed mouth-watering - the flowers are gorgeous. Could you tell us approx. the dimendions of the individual flower?
By the way, my "Australian Native Plants" (weighty tome) indicates that in it's native regions (NSW, Qld) it grows to 7 metres - not huge but a goodly sized tree at about 21 feet! If it stays at 2 metres, no more than 3, I'd go buy one. Also, my reference indicates there is a prostrate variety in cultivation. Might be worth looking for that.
Lovely picture.
User
Original Author
15 years ago
Bill its nearly 10.30 pm now and raining so I will measure it tomorrow at a rough guess a flower would be about 1.5 to 2 cms wide.
I had a look at my paper book I write all the plants in what day I planted then and height and width from the label 4-6 mts High and 2-4 mts wide..

I planted it in March 2005 Bill and what I do to keep it at a nice size is prune it after flowering which I usually do in December that results in a lovely low thick bushy shrub.

Now the Lemon Myrtle which I forgot to prune last year as it flowers later and with Christmas and all, has grown so much this past year as it has been sitting in all that excess water from the tank overflow pipe that would be 3 mts tall now, I don't mind that being tall as its next to the Hymenosporum flavum common name Native Frangipani which is almost finished flowering, that one gets a big cut down every year with a saw Tony does that for me now as its a ladder job and I don't have the strength he hacks it something shocking which upsets me and its comes back every year..

Hymenosporum flavum

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tuppitoo
15 years ago
Yes great photos Misty.The clarity of the little antennae is
terrific. It could almost pass for Xmas tinsel>the other little fellows are interesting. Do the colours change with
age? or are they all different at the start.

chas
funnelweb
15 years ago
Bloody rain Misty, it's been on and off now all season; you know I have 2 Breynia nirvosa bushes in (Euphorbia family) I planted in late winter early spring and they like a nice warm summer, being tropical, and it's been so non-tropical here one is, well, not dieing but not real happy. A good bit of continuous warm sunshine is what they need.
On natives in general: Nibble-like clipping - like the nibbling by kangaroos or other native creatures - is what they need, so annual or even bi-annual clipping of your backhousie(s) will indeed keep it in shape and responding. After-all native plants are the food store of our native creatures. The problem usually, though, is not with the plant but the planter; you need to be consistant with the 'nibbling' (clipping).
triciac
15 years ago
No need to envy us with our roses Mary Ann, with those lovely blooms, so 'wedding bouquet' like, what a picture they must be.
User
Original Author
15 years ago
Hi Chas Yes the colours on the Hymenosporum flavum start out white and go to orange as they age..
User
Original Author
15 years ago
That size for the little flowers was right Bill.
I am not familiar with that shrub of yours but I do know what you mean about a bit of sun, every day seems to be grey and drizzle of sorts on and off during the day and the wind is sapping the energy out of the plants and the soil..

Yes we do need the birds here for pruning the high stuff Bill the fruit bats and the lorikeets fix up the tallest gum trees there are white flowers all over the driveway for a few weeks of the year they are just finishing now.. The smaller Grevillea we have to prune, I never go down the back steps without the secateurs in my hand, if I am not dead heading roses I am cutting off long canes from the Bougainvillea or doing something.
User
Original Author
15 years ago
They are very Wedding Bouquet flowers Tricia, we certainly have some pretty Native flowers.

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