Myrica gale
Myrica gale is known as sweet gale and has aromatic foliage. It is a tough, super hardy shrub for wet locations.
Description:
If you've ever been swimming or canoeing on a lake in BC (or across Canada for that matter) and you've seen a shrub growing right in the water along the shore, chances are it was sweetgale (Myrica gale) which is also known as bog-myrtle, sweet willow, or Dutch myrtle. It is a tough, super hardy shrub for wet locations that will spread by underground suckers and would work admirably to prevent shoreline erosion. It has catkins like a willow that are yellowish green. The leaves have a sweet resinous scent and is used as an insect repellent. Parts of the plant have also been used as a remedy and as a flavouring for foods.
Common Name: Sweetgale
Family: Myricaceae (The Bayberry Family)
Zone Hardiness: 2-8
Light: Full Sun, Part Sun
Height: 4-6'
Width: 3-5'
Primary Bloom Colour: Green
Secondary Bloom Colour: Yellow
Class: Deciduous
Type: Shrub
Bloom Time: Spring
Soil Moisture: Average, Moist
Stem Colour:
Fragrance: Yes
Berries:
Benefits:
Deer Resistant: Unknown
BC Native: No
Native Habitat: Swamps, bogs, fens, lakeshores and estuary edges at low elevations into the mountains from Alaska to Newfoundland and south into the US. Also found in Eurasia.
Award: AGM
Geogrpahical Origin: Americas - North America
Europe and Africa - Europe and Western Russia
Asia and the Pacific - North Central and Eastern Asia
Asia and the Pacific - Asia - China and Japan
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*The Plant Encyclopedia is updated each year to provide a representation of the plants we offer, have offered, and may offer again. However, it is not a live inventory of our stock. Not all plants will be available at all times or in every year. Use the link above to enquire about the availability of this plant. Additionally, we carry many plants that have not yet been entered into our database so please enquire if you don’t see what you’re looking for. Plants are available only for on-site sales at our nursery in Richmond, BC, Canada or for shipping within Canada. We do not ship internationally. However, if you are visiting the nursery from afar, we can arrange for the necessary permits and paperwork for you to take plants back with you to your country.