Growing Lemon Myrtle in Australia: The Complete Guide
Lemon Myrtle is an easy native bush food to grow, needing full –part shade, sheltered sun with regular watering.
We get asked about lemon myrtle often enough that it's worth setting out the full picture here, beyond what fits on our printable card.
An aromatic native hedge
Lemon myrtle clips well into a dense, fragrant hedge and provides an intensely lemon-scented leaf year-round — a genuinely useful and attractive native for a homestead herb garden.
Getting Lemon Myrtle Into the Ground
Method — plant from a nursery pot. Soil — well-drained, moderately fertile. Timing — plant in spring in a sheltered spot.
Day-to-Day Care
The key things to get right:
- Protect from frost while young — more cold-sensitive than many natives.
- Water regularly while establishing.
- Clip as a hedge, or leave free-form.
- Harvest leaves regularly, which encourages fresh growth.
Problems to Watch For
A few things matter most here:
- Frost damage — the main risk while young; shelter in cooler zones.
- Myrtle rust — orange spore masses on new growth; remove affected material, improve airflow.
- Scale insects — occasional; treat with horticultural oil.
- Slow establishment — be patient in the first couple of years.
Harvest and Storage
Signs — leaves are usable year-round once established. Method — pick leaves as needed. Curing — dries very well, retaining strong flavour. Storage — fresh, fridge a week or so; dried, airtight for a year or more.
That's the full picture behind lemon myrtle. The printable A4 version of this guide — with the quick-reference gauges and diagram in one page — is available on the main guide page below.