Bayberry — long prized for its fragrant foliage and berry — is a hardworking , fuss - free shrub that works in almost any landscape .
Bayberry is an evergreen or semi - evergreen bush with leathery , aromatic leave of absence and delightfully fragrant , waxy berries . The berries , which bear a woody , herbal sweetness evocative of winter holidays , are prized for wind candles and soaps . There are lashings of species of bayberry , but the most vernacular varieties are northern and southerly bayberry . northerly bayberry(Morella pensylvanica)is most common inUSDA Zones3 - 7 , while southerly bayberry ( Morella ceriferaor wax Vinca minor ) is more common in Zones 7 - 11 . Both are deer - resistant , salinity - large-minded , and capable of thriving in a wide scope of soils .
Bayberry bush are part of the Myricaceae taxonomic class and were once sort out under the genusMyrica . In the mid-1990s , plant scientist split the genus into two — MorellaandMyrica — based on the structure of the catkins ( flower bunch ) and yield . For this reason , most bayberry plant are now part of theMorellagenus , although many still refer to them as part of theMyricagenus .
Credit:Denny Schrock
Where to Plant Bayberry
Bayberry plant tolerate salt spray . They make first-class coastal plantings but may have stunted growth in windswept domain . The evergreen / semi - evergreen shrubs are also effective at erosion control andstabilizing sandy , coastal landscape .
In the garden , bayberries tolerate both wet and juiceless ground . employ them alongside ponds and watercourse or set them at your garden ’s bound to deter athirst deer . reckon on the variety , bayberries also make suitable additions tocoastal garden , bungalow garden , rainwater gardens , and woodland garden .
candleberry make excellent instauration and hedge plants , specially when plant along walkways where you could sweep by their aromatic foliage .
Credit:Denny Schrock
Some variety ( Morella ceriferain particular ) are think extremely inflammable , so keep that in creative thinker when imbed close to home plate or structures . However , some , likeMyrica pensylvanica(northern bayberry ) varieties , are considered low in flammability .
Bayberry bush can be plant alone , but if you want your bayberry shrub to produce berries , plan to plant at least two ( if not several ) shrubs . The shrubs are dioecious ( either male or distaff ) , and only distaff plant bear yield . Male works are required for pollination .
How and When to Plant Bayberry
To plant a bayberry bush , toil a hole at least twice the breadth and just as recondite as your plant ’s stem ball in late summer or early drop . southerly bayberry can be planted or transfer as deep as early bound . Before placing your bayberry plant in the prepared cakehole , loosen the etymon and spread them out across the width of the hole . fill up the hole halfway with the displaced soil and urine thoroughly . Finish fill the hole just to the top of the root ball , but do n’t whole cover it . H2O deeply .
If you are planting more than one Pimenta acris plant , place them at least 5 to 10 feet aside ( or slightly closer ifbuilding a hedgerow ) .
embed at least one male plant for every five female plants to see to it good yield production .
Credit:Denny Schrock
Bayberry Care Tips
Whether native to the north or south , bayberry shrubs are adaptable to a all-inclusive miscellany of soils , and they smell gorgeous . Plus , thesemi - evergreen to evergreen shrubscan tolerate drought , salt sprayer , eroding , and almost anything else you throw at them .
Light
Bayberry shrub preferfull sunto fond refinement , although their tolerance on either side of the spectrum vary by specie . For the most part , bayberries with five minute or more of Sunday photograph each day develop more fruit and have denser foliage .
Soil and Water
Pimenta acris are nitrogen - fixing bush that bear poor filth but develop good in sandy or peaty , well - drained soil . Some multifariousness ( likeMorella caroliniensisandMyrica gale ) are more wonted toboggy conditions and wetland soilsthan others . Check the plant tag or postulate your local horticulture extension for clue about a particular species .
In general , bayberry shrubs aredrought - tolerantonce establish , but they should be water weekly in the first few months after planting . Some sort ( likeMorella cerifera ) are more drought - broad than others once established .
Temperature and Humidity
Temperature and humidness preferences for bayberry shrub vary wide by species . For example , northerly bayberry prefers temperatures between 40 ° F and 95 ° F . With protection from rough winds , it can bear wintertime with temperature as low as 0 ° F ° to -5 ° F.Morella cerifera(southern Jamaica bayberry or wax myrtle ) , on the other hand , prefers temperatures between 60 ° F and 100 ° FD , but can not permit winters below 15 ° F .
In general , bayberry shrubs choose temperate to high humidness , but check the flora tag for specific information about your bayberry plant ’s temperature and humidity preferences .
Fertilizer
Bayberries do n’t involve fertilisation . In fact , bayberry shrubs are at an advantage in poor , difficult soils because they are atomic number 7 - fixers . They can alter the balance of the dirt surrounding them by converting atmospheric N into shape operational by plants .
Pruning
Pruning a bayberry bush is rarely necessary , but you could transfer dead or damaged subdivision at any time to keep the wellness of the shrub .
To structurally prune your bayberry bush , hold back until late wintertime or other leap when the plant is inactive . Be conservative with your slash ( remove no more than one - quarter of the bush ) and usesharp , unfertile prunersto tailor stray branches back to the cardinal structure of the bush .
If you want to train your bayberry shrub into a tree kind , wait until it is at least 3 - 4 feet tall , and remove the lowest sidelong branches from the central body . Next , move out any crossed or rubbing branches . Remove any Modern growth below the canopy as it appears .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Potting and Repotting
Some coinage of bayberry do well in container with excellent drain andwell - drained soil . Choose a container 10 to 12 inches all-embracing than your plant ’s beginning ball to provide room for two or three years of growth .
If you necessitate to repot a container - grown bayberry shrub , wait until late fall or early wintertime to minimize impact . get up a big container with a well - drained sandy or loamy soil mix and irrigate the plant life thoroughly . alleviate the flora from its flowerpot by grok the base of the central trunk . untie the antecedent gently and place the shrub in its newfangled , inclined container . After repotting , keep the soil evenly moist for several weeks . Avoid pruning until after the shrub shows sign of Modern emergence .
Pests and Problems
Bayberry shrubs are notably pest and disease - tolerant ( they evenward off deer and rabbits ) but may haveboxwood blight , folio anthracnose , andmosaic virusissues in some regions .
How to Propagate Bayberry
The well-to-do ways to disseminate bayberry are by partition or semi - hardwood cuttings taken in midsummer .
Semi-Hardwood Cuttings
Your cutting can be transplanted outdoors when it has a substantial root system of rules .
Division
To divide your waxberry shrub , bet for sucker or new shoots around a distaff parent plant . travail up the newfangled shoot and slue it ( along with its rhizomatous root ) from the parent plant using sharp , sterile shears . withdraw most of the folio from the divided shoot ( leaving the top sets of leaves entire ) and engraft the shoot in a fresh positioning . Keep your freshly planted shoot well - watered until it begins to take root and grow .
Types of Bayberry
Northern Bayberry
Denny Schrock
Northern bayberry(Morella pensylvanica)is commonly referred to as simply “ bayberry . ” The deciduous shrub is native to eastern North America and hardy in Zones 3 - 7 . It typically raise 6 to 10 feet improbable and 5 to 10 foot wide . northerly bayberry features showy , greyish - light-green leaves and blueish white berries that are pop among birds , such as robins , bluebird , mockingbirds , and warbler , as well as other wildlife .
Southern Wax Myrtle
Wax myrtle ( Morella ceriferaor southern bayberry ) is a fast - growing evergreen tree or shrub native to North America , Central America , and the Caribbean . It grows mirthfully in ordinary towet soilsand full sun to fond shade . It features sheeny , aromatic , olive - gullible leaves and waxy gray-haired - blue berries . Southern wax Vinca minor typically grows 10 to 12 ft tall and 8 to 10 ft wide , but the bush can stretch as tall as 25 groundwork in friendly condition .
Swamp Bayberry
Swamp bayberry(Myrica caroliniensisorMyrica heterophylla)is aboriginal to North America and often find develop along the coastal plains . bewilderingly , it is also sometimes referred to as southern bayberry . It is hardy in Zones 7 - 9 and grow 5 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 9 pes blanket . The leaves of swamp bayberry are not as fragrant as those of its northerly and southern counterpart , but the bush grow fragrant , pliable , bluish - ashen fruits that are democratic with wildlife .
Sweetgale
Sweetgale ( Myrica Galeor bog Vinca minor ) is an redolent shrub that grows near lake and in the bogs , marshes , and freshwater shrublands of hardiness Zones 2 - 6 . It typically produce 2 to 4 feet marvellous and 3 to 5 foot wide . Sweetgale thrives in moist , acidic soils and brook sweetly scented grayish - green leaves and clusters of strobilus - like nutlets instead of berries .
Red Bayberry
Red bayberry ( which also goes by Japanese bayberry , Taiwanese bayberry , andMyrica Rubra ) is native to easterly China , Japan , Korea , and the Philippines . It is typically found in warm coastal areas but is intrepid in Zones 8 - 10 . Formosan bayberry grows 10 to 30 feet tall ( although it can get much improbable ) with quiet gray bark , oblong green leaves , and big , blockheaded - skinned fruits . Depending on the cultivar , the fruits may be crimson - violent , purple , white , or pinkish when ripe .
Companion Plants for Bayberry
American Cranberry
American cranberry(Viburnum trilobum)is a good companion for northern bayberry . Both are nitrogen - fix shrubs that bear fruits that draw in boo and other wildlife . Like bayberries , American cranberry prefer full sunlight . They also like moist dirt but can not stick out inert or wet ground as well as bayberry bush . Popular cultivars of American cranberry grow 15 feet tall and 12 feet wide in Zones 2 - 7 .
California Lilac
Like swamp candleberry bush , California lilacs(Ceanothus)are rugged nitrogen - fixing shrub and tree diagram that are hardy in Zones 7 - 10 . The small , low - develop California lilacs are also perfect for coastal garden where their problematical root word systems can curb eroding insandy , diagonal landscape . California lilac choose full sunshine to fond shade and are popular with pollinators thanks to their white , pinkish , depressed , or violet flowers ( depending on variety ) .
St. John’s Wort
St. John ’s wortis a landscape workhorse that is a champion at erosion control and providing food for thought and protection to wildlife . The pretty shrub offers bright yellow flowers in recent June , followed by carmine - brown fall Berry and ( occasionally ) evergreen foliage . Like bayberry , St. John ’s wort is a cinch to grow in almost any landscape painting in Zones 3 - 9 . It is alsoseldom browsed by deer and rabbits .
Yaupon Holly
Yaupon hollyis a smashing fellow traveller for southerly wax myrtle as both favour full sun or fond shade and can endure a wide scope of filth , admit wet , swampy field . Like wax myrtle , yaupon holly is also liberal of salt spray , so it ’s an excellent option for coastal gardens or wayside plantings where road - salt runoff may be an issue . Yaupon holly is hardy in Zones 7 - 10 and grows 6 to 20 feet tall and 3 to 10 feet wide .
Frequently Asked Questions
Bayberry shrubs are chiefly hint - pollinated , so they do n’t need to be directly next to each other for pollination to fall out . In general , they should be placed 3 to 10 invertebrate foot aside ( depending on assortment and landscape use ) when planted in groups .
To render wax from your bayberry output , place the Charles Edward Berry in a large pot and meet the skunk with cold body of water to just 2 to 3 inches above the berry . Gently simmer the berries ( do not boil ) for an 60 minutes and pour the water through cheesecloth into a appropriate bowl or mint . Add fresh insensate water to the berries , recur the stewing and filtering mental process , and cool off the book water supply overnight . The bayberry wax will harden on the surface of the water . To stretch your bayberry wax further , supply beeswax in a 1:1 ratio .
It vary by species and region , but you ’ll call for about 15 pounds of berries to furnish 1 pound of wax .
The master difference between northerly bayberry and southerly bayberry is hardiness . northerly bayberry(Morella pensylvanica)is hardy in Zones 3 - 7 , while southern bayberry(Morella cerifera)is unfearing in Zones 7 - 11 . southerly bayberry also be given to grow marvelous .
Myrica cerifera . North Carolina State University Extension .
Credit: Dency Kane
