Sand myrtle is a small wide-spreading evergreen shrub native to the East coast of North America from New Jersey to Georgia. It has a rounded habit, fine texture, and tiny, oval, dark green boxwood-like leaves that turn bronze in fall. Small white to pink flowers emerge in terminal clusters from rose-colored buds in the spring. In the wild the shrubs are usually one to two feet tall and four to five feet wide but dwarf cultivars are available. Sand myrtle is an excellent rock garden plant or used as a ground cover in a shady area. It likes partial shade or morning sun and moist, well-drained acid soil rich in organic matter. It is hard to establish, does not like drought or heat but has no serious pest or disease problems.
Type: Flowering evergreen shrub
Outstanding Features: Foliage, flowers
Form:Upright, mounded
Growth Rate: Slow
Bloom: Large clusters of small white to pink flowers are borne in terminal corymbs from rose-colored buds in spring.
Size: 1.5-3′ H x 3-5′ W
Light: Morning sun; partial shade
Soil:Organically rich, moist, well-drained, acidic
Hardiness:Zones 6-10
Care: Low maintence; do not allow to dry out
Pests and Diseases:None of importance
Propagation:Seed, root cuttings, layering, stem cuttings in summer
Outstanding Selection: ‘Nana’ (pink flowers, 2″ tall and 12″ wide).
