If you are looking for good landscape trees for your backyard, consider adding a lemon myrtle (also known as lemon-scented myrtle). This rainforest tree has many health benefits, but it is also beautiful and smells great. If your home is in its native southeastern Australian habitat, it will do quite well. However, you can plant in other parts of Australia as well. Here is more information about lemon myrtle, its benefits, and how to care for it in your backyard.
Lemon Myrtle Benefits
Lemon myrtle not only looks great, but it also has several benefits that make it a great addition to your backyard. Here are some of the reasons to plant this native evergreen tree.
Health Benefits
The leaves, oils, and seeds have many medicinal and nutritional benefits. Many people use the oil for several health conditions. Some claim the oil helps treat acne, stress, and athlete's foot, for example.
Food Source
People use dried lemon myrtle leaves as tea. Historically, lemon myrtle leaves provide seasoning for many sweet and savoury dishes. You can use the berries like peppercorns to season meat. However, to use the berries, you must harvest as soon as they are ripe as they don't stay good for long.
Helps Bees, Birds and Butterflies
The flowers of the lemon myrtle attract pollinators like bees and butterflies at certain times of the year. Nectar-feeding birds also like feeding on the flowers of this tree. Some birds will eat the ripe berries, including domestic chickens.
Lemon Myrtle Care
One of the great things about lemon myrtles is that they are fairly hardy and mostly require only basic care. They do best with regular watering and humid conditions. They benefit from regular fertilising, especially the younger plants. You will need to lightly prune this tree to keep it from getting too dense. Also, check and treat for common insect pests like aphids and mites. These insects could spread sooty mould.
Lemon myrtles are an excellent choice for many backyards. You can even start them out in containers on a patio. They may grow as high as 20 metres, depending on location and conditions. These trees make an attractive addition to any landscape. Plus, they produce bright white flowers and a pleasant lemon scent in addition to their other uses.
You can often find these trees or their cuttings at wholesale nurseries or landscape tree supply businesses. Give them a call and see if they have any in stock, or inquire about other native Australian trees or shrubs for your landscape.
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