ShrubsSouthern Wax Myrtle
Morella cerifera
Southern Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera) is a fast-growing shrub, hardy in USDA zones 7-10, that matures to about 10-15 ft × 8-10 ft. It does best in full sun and part shade with high water needs in well-drained, moist and occasionally-dry soil. Expect yellow and green blooms in winter and spring. It attracts butterflies, pollinators and small mammals, stands up well to deer, drought and dry soil.
- USDA zones
- 7-10
- Sun
- Full sun, Part shade
- Water
- High
- Mature size
- 10-15 ft × 8-10 ft
- Spacing
- 6-feet-12 feet
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
- Soil
- Well-drained, Moist, Occasionally-dry, Occasionally-wet
- Foliage
- Green
- Bloom color
- Yellow, Green
- Bloom season
- Winter, Spring
- Attracts
- Butterflies, Pollinators, Small mammals, Songbirds
- Tough against
- Deer, Drought, Dry soil, Poor soil, Salt, Pollution, Wet soil, Wind
- Native to
- North America, Central America, Caribbean
In the landscape
Data sources
Freeze survival
Will it survive your winters?
Hardiness zones show a normal bad winter. We check the worst one — Southern Wax Myrtle is hardy to about 0°F (estimated from USDA zone 7), so we'll score it against the real coldest nights your area has actually had.
Powered by ~35 years of daily lows from the nearest NOAA weather station. A risk read, not a guarantee — a sheltered spot or mature plant beats the odds.
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