Description
Hits 2001
Melaleuca species, probably M. linariifolia. Originally bought from a landscape supplier as a leftover – tall and scraggly with all branches near the top. I tried an aerial layer but the roots were not well developed when I removed it and it did not survive. I cut the trunk down to under 10cm and after some time it shot prolifically just below the cut. I removed most shoots, keeping seven at the about the same level and evenly spaced; one of these did not survive, so now I have two odd numbers – five and one. The one is in danger of becoming too dominant so I am trying to restrain its growth. For the first few years I grew the branches on then cut back hard to build up the foliage clouds. Every now and then I have to ‘refresh’ this treatment, as I did last spring. I quite like this Australian native broom style.
