In-Depth Description
The bayberry shrub (Myrica pensylvanica formerly Morella pensylvanica), called the Virginia myrtle or candleberry bush by early settlers, is a North American native shrub found mostly along the Eastern seaboard. Bayberry is attractive to birds mainly for the waxy gray berries that a pollinated female plant produces in late summer. Groupings of plants need at least one male plant to facilitate pollination of the female plants and subsequent fruit sets. The tiny, grayish-white fruits that appear in late summer usually persist through the winter. The fruits attract robins, bluebirds, and waxwings and are an absolute favorite of the Yellow-Rumped Warbler. The thickness of the bayberry shrub makes it an excellent shelter and nesting option for ground-dwelling birds. The fruits, covered with an aromatic, waxy substance, are used to make bayberry candles, soaps, and sealing wax. The aromatic leaves can be used in cooking or for tea. This plant forms thickets and colonies and should be planted where there is space for it to spread. It’s a very tolerant plant, surviving moist or dry soils, or seaside spray. Bayberry extends itself slowly by forming clonal colonies and is therefore useful for filling spaces in the shrub border.
