Melaleuca incana is a
star in the garden both for the weeping gray foliage and for the creamy
flowers. The little hairs on the leaves make the Gray Honey Myrtle
seem to glow when backlit. Melaleuca incana can grow to 10 feet or
more. The Gray Honey Myrtle does well in full sun to light
shade. Once established in the ground Melaleuca incana is quite
drought tolerant, though pretty unforgiving if they get too dry. If
there is a flaw in this plant it is that the interior branches all die off
and there are lots of them. While spectacular if the time is spent
to cut off all of those little branches it can take quite a lot of time,
this is much less of an issue in full sun as the plants become quite
dense. There is a low spreading prostrate form as well. The
Gray Honey Myrtle is hardy into the low 20's and even into the teens,
though there will be significant foliage dieback.
High resolution images
of Melaleuca incana are available
