Copper Tops Midgen Berry

Copper Tops Midgen Berry (Austromyrtus dulcis 'Copper Tops') is a low Australian native shrub grown for two things: the coppery bronze flush on every new shoot, and the sweet speckled berries that follow the white spring flowers. It reaches about 1.2m tall and 1m wide, evergreen and neat, so it works as a low hedge, a border or a bush tucker plant in a pot.

Why you'll love it

• Bronze new growth, all year. Each flush opens copper and settles to green, so the plant carries colour without needing a flower.
• Berries you can actually eat. Small white berries speckled with grey, sweet and slightly spicy, ripening through summer into autumn.
• It stays small. At 1.2m by 1m it fills a border without the annual battle to keep it down.
• Native, and the wildlife knows. Bees and butterflies take the flowers, birds take the fruit you leave behind.
• Built for the coast. Salt tolerant, drought tolerant once established and comfortable in humidity.

Where it works best

Low hedging and edging. Plant 60cm apart for a low hedge. At that spacing it knits into a continuous band about knee to hip height within two seasons, and it takes a light shear without sulking.

Mass planting. Set 60cm apart through a native bed and let it run together as a soft understorey beneath taller shrubs.

Pots and small gardens. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, which puts the berries within reach on a balcony or beside a back door.

Growing Copper Tops Midgen Berry in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to part shade, though the bronze colour is strongest in sun. This is a tropical, subtropical and warm temperate plant. It handles light frost only, so cold inland districts, the tablelands and hard frosting southern gardens are outside its range.

Soil. Free draining, ideally sandy or improved with compost. It grows naturally in coastal sand and heath, so it copes with lean ground, but it will not tolerate waterlogging.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then it manages on its own in most seasons. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, and keep 75mm of mulch clear of the stems.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density. A light trim after fruiting keeps the hedge tight and triggers another copper flush.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in three sizes: single tubes, 140mm pots in packs of ten, and 200mm pots in packs of six. Tubes are the value choice for a long border and catch up within a season or two. The 140mm packs are the practical hedge buy at 60cm spacing, and 200mm plants give you an immediate low mound.

This is a slow grower, so expect 20 to 30cm a year and two seasons before a hedge line closes. Plants travel upright and are delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse more Australian native shrubs
• See the full edible and bush food range
• Native plants that bring birds into the garden
• Compare other hedging options

Common questions

What do the berries taste like?

Sweet and mild with a faint spice, closer to a blueberry than anything tart. They ripen from summer into autumn and are best picked and eaten straight off the bush.

How far apart for a low hedge?

Sixty centimetres apart in a single row. Any tighter and the plants shade each other out at the base, which is where a low hedge needs to stay furnished.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and in colder districts it needs a sheltered north facing wall or a pot that can be moved under cover.