It has been a paperbark appreciation month for me, I love Melaleuca’s as they will grow so easily in difficult heavy soils and their flowers are rich in nectar for birds and bees alike.
Melaleuca viridiflora ‘Burgundy Weeper’ is no exception, it covers itself in deep reddish purple flowers attracting honey eaters and bees. Above a Rainbow Lorikeet is enjoying the nectar from the abundant flowers in a garden design I revisited recently.
Melaleuca viridiflora ‘Burgundy Weeper’ as the name suggests has a gentle weeping habit and a wonderful papery bark. It grows to between 6-8 metres in a dense reasonably narrow habit, making it a perfect medium feature tree for suburban gardens and an excellent street tree.
Melaleuca ‘Candy Sparkles’ is also a Melaleuca viridiflora but is a smaller more bush like plant.
This Melaleuca was photographed in Autumn, flowering will continue through Winter and will flower again in Spring, like many of the Callistemons it seems you get two showy flowering times a year.
This Melaleuca is also great as a screening tree, and is fast growing. Prune after flowering to promote healthy new growth. A small amount of slow release native fertiliser can also help give your plant a boost.
Adaptable to a range of soil types, including clay, loamy, and sandy soils, this plant has been know to help with erosion control. Adding wind tolerance to it’s resume it can be used for wind protection in the garden.
It can tolerate both acidic and alkaline pH levels. It will not withstand heavy frosts, only occasional light frost once established.
This Melaleuca is not often seen in nurseries but it is worth trying to hunt down if you have the time, its a gorgeous, hardy, quick growing tree and it would be great to see it used more often, the birds will thank you too 🙂
Leave a Reply