Sweet Midgen Berry

Sweet Midgen Berry (Austromyrtus dulcis) is a bush tucker plant that would earn its place on looks alone. It is a low spreading heath shrub, about 80cm tall and 1.2m across, with arching growth that flushes pink and bronze before settling to fine grey green. White spring flowers give way to speckled berries that taste of ginger and cinnamon, and you can eat them straight off the plant.

Why you'll love it

• Berries worth picking. Grey speckled fruit ripens through summer, sweet with a clear spiced note, and it needs no preparation.
• Low and spreading by habit. At 80cm by 1.2m it covers ground and softens edges without ever needing a trimmer.
• New growth does the work. Pink and bronze flushes carry colour through the warm months, well outside the flowering window.
• Built for hard coastal ground. Salt tolerant, drought tolerant and content in poor sandy soil, which is where it grows wild.
• Busy with wildlife. Bees and butterflies work the flowers, and birds take the berries you leave.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 80cm apart for a dense low cover. Across a wide bed, staggered rows at the same spacing close the gaps faster than a straight line.

Borders and edging. The scale suits a path edge or the front row of a native bed, where it holds a soft line rather than a clipped one.

Coastal gardens and pots. Exposed sandy front gardens suit it, and one plant in a 400mm pot spills neatly over the rim on a balcony.

Growing Sweet Midgen Berry in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest crop; light shade thins the fruit. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and it takes light frost only. Hard frosting inland and cold southern gardens want a pot that can be sheltered.

Soil. Free draining is the one real requirement. Sandy, low fertility ground is ideal. On heavy clay, mound the bed and work coarse compost through it, because wet feet over winter is the usual cause of failure.

Water and feed. Water twice weekly through the first summer, then taper off. A controlled release native fertiliser in early spring is all it asks, and heavy feeding only gives you soft growth and fewer berries.

Pruning. Very little. A light tip prune after fruiting keeps the habit tight and brings on the coloured new growth. Growth is slow, so do not count on reshaping it quickly.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, and 200mm in packs of six. Tube stock is the sensible buy for a large area, while the 140mm and 200mm plants are already branching and give you a head start on cover.

Plants travel upright and packed. Expect a quiet few weeks, then new growth once the weather warms. It is a slow grower, so allow two to three seasons at 80cm centres for continuous cover, and the first real crop in year two. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Native plants that bring birds into the garden
• Browse the edible and bush tucker range
• Compare groundcover plants for open beds
• More Australian native shrubs

Common questions

What do the berries taste like?

Sweet, with a clear note of ginger and cinnamon behind it. They ripen white with grey speckling through summer and are eaten fresh from the bush, or cooked into jams and desserts.

How far apart should I plant it as a groundcover?

Eighty centimetres apart, which matches the mature spread of 1.2m and lets plants overlap without crowding. Closer planting wastes stock and makes watering the middle of a bed harder.

Will it grow in a cold garden?

Only with help. It handles light frost but not repeated hard frosts, so gardeners in the tablelands, cold inland areas and southern districts do better with a pot that can be sheltered.