Myrtus communis Variegata

Myrtus communis 'Variegata' is a variety of common myrtle that is particularly interesting for its bright evergreen foliage, which is variegated with cream yellow. In terms of flowering, fruiting, and cultivation requirements, it is identical to the dark green myrtle of Mediterranean scrub vegetation. This bush blooms in the heart of summer, punctuating its vegetation with a multitude of small white flowers with protruding stamens, as light as snowflakes. Moderately hardy, this variety is perfect for creating the structure of a dry garden, both in hedges and shrub beds. In colder regions, it can be grown in containers as an orangery plant.

Myrtus communis 'Variegata' belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is a variegated mutation of the common myrtle that is found in the wild at the edge of oak or pine forests, in scrub vegetation and rocky maquis, from the Mediterranean to Lebanon. It is a slow-growing bush with a naturally dense and bushy habit. It will reach a height of 1.5 to 1.75m (5 to 6ft), sometimes more, with a diameter of 1 to 1.5m (3 to 5ft). The ovate leaves with a pointed tip are remarkably aromatic. An essential oil is extracted from them, which is widely used in perfumery and aromatherapy. They are shiny on both sides and show a light green colour marginated with yellow to cream. The bush flowers generously from July to September, which is surprising for a plant from a dry climate. The small, solitary, 5-petal white flowers, 1cm (1in) wide, open on a large cluster of protruding stamens; they appear in the axils of the leaves, on the current year's shoots. They are followed in autumn by the formation of small ovoid and fleshy fruits, which are black-blue with a powdery hue. They are used in cooking or for making liqueurs.

Brighter than boxwood, free of diseases, adorned with a thousand adorable little flowers in summer, and fragrant, Myrtus communis 'Variegata' would undoubtedly be more widely used in small trimmed or informal hedges and in topiary art if it were a little hardier. It prefers partial shade and slightly acidic soils, tolerates long droughts once well rooted, and requires no special care. Myrtle tolerates pruning very well, in April or October, without compromising flowering. If its vegetation is damaged by a severe winter, it is capable of regenerating from the stump. It can be planted with dwarf pomegranates or flowering pomegranates, agapanthus, arborescent artemisias, and shrubby salvias (microphylla), in a colourful checkerboard or a small Mediterranean-inspired bed. It is easily grown in a large container, accompanying, for example, a four-season mimosa. In a hedge, on the edge of a grove or undergrowth, it can be planted alongside Mexican orange, the Laurel-leaved Rockrose (a large hardy rockrose at -15°C (5°F)), Narrow-leaved Phillyrea, or 'Argenteovariegata' Alaternus Buckthorn.