Myrsine
Naturally columnar. A tidy native privacy screen that never needs shearing.
Myrsine cubana
The native upright hedge that does the podocarpus job better
Why it works here
Half the hedges on the Treasure Coast are podocarpus, an import from Asia that feeds exactly nothing. Myrsine is the native that does the same job: upright, narrow, dense, evergreen, happy clipped into a formal wall or left natural. It grows in sun or shade, tolerates wet spots and coastal conditions, and on female plants the stems get lined with little black fruits tucked right against the branches, which birds quietly clean off. It's a plant you stop noticing, in the best way, while it screens your yard and feeds the neighborhood.
Care
Water to establish, mulch, then it's about as low-maintenance as hedging gets. Shear once or twice a year for a formal look, or just tip it back occasionally for a soft screen. Compost is all the feeding it wants. It's moderately slow, so space plants about 3 feet apart if you want a solid hedge within a few years.
Common problems
Almost none worth naming: it's a tough, pest-light plant. Two things to know rather than problems: it's dioecious, meaning plants are either male or female, so only females carry the berry-lined stems, and you can't tell which you're getting at the nursery. And in a hard freeze north of our area it can burn, though that's rarely an issue in Stuart.
Common questions
Can I swap my dying podocarpus hedge for myrsine one for one?
Pretty much, yes. Same upright shape, similar spacing, similar clipped look. The difference is myrsine belongs here, shrugs off our conditions, and the birds get something out of it.
Why doesn't my myrsine have berries?
Either it's a male plant, or there's no male nearby to pollinate your female. In a hedge row of several plants you'll usually end up with both and get fruit on some of them.
How narrow can I keep it?
Down to about 2 to 3 feet wide with regular shearing, which is why it works along driveways and property lines where a fat hedge would eat the space.
Interested in a myrsine in your landscape?
We plan, install, and care for it. Start with a paid consultation.