Whatever you call it, simply delicious

SCENTED: As well as being edible, the ripening berries of Myrtus ugni also perfume their surrounds

As I walked through the car park at the garden centre I was hit with a delicious perfume. I inhaled deeply and recognised the smell of autumn on its way - the scent was in fact that of the berries of Myrtus ugni, commonly known as New Zealand cranberry or Chilean guava.
Chilean guava is the best common name for the bush, given that the plant originates from Chile where its fruits are grown commercially and exported to Japan, as well as sold locally. The other common name - "New Zealand cranberry" - is often a source of confusion, as other than the look of the fruit, the plant growth and fruit taste are nothing similar to the "real" cranberry.
The Chilean guava produces attractive white flowers during spring and then forms round red berries during the summer. Towards late February and during March these berries will start to ripen. It is the ripening berries that produce the delicious smell. They are also delicious to eat fresh as well as being suitable for making juices, jams and other preserves.
The plants yield quite well with a 3-year-old plant producing about 1kg of fruit which will increase by about 1kg a year subsequently.
The plants themselves have a number of landscaping uses. If left unchecked they will grow to 1.5m x 1m. They are best trimmed each year after fruiting to maintain some form otherwise they can become a fairly straggly and leggy bush.
They are great grown in a courtyard where the fruit's scent coincides with barbecue season. The plants can be kept trimmed to size as the space available allows, by pruning after fruiting each year. They are suitable for containers and patios where their drought-hardy tendencies can be useful, though lack of water can affect fruit quality.
The Chilean guava is regularly grown as a topiary. Its dense habit and small leaves make it an ideal candidate as a successful topiary which offers not just good form but the added value of scent and fruit.
They also make a marvellous fruiting hedge. Their leaves resemble those of buxus, though slightly more rounded and their dense growing habit right from the base of the plant makes it a great choice for a hedge. Growth is much faster than buxus allowing establishment of a 30cm high hedge in about 2 years. Of course the trade-off for the fast growth is that it will need trimming two to three times a year to maintain a tidy look.
Culturally they are an easy-care plant with few major pest and disease risks. There are the normal insect offenders - aphids and scale, and thrips will often attack plants stressed by drought - but these are all easily controlled with an insecticide. They are hardy to around minus 6C and happy growing in full sun or part shade. They are tolerant of salty air but perform far better if they are out of the prevailing wind in a slightly more sheltered situation. They grow best in fertile well-drained soil, but will also grow well in clay and even in sandy soils.
Pest watch It has been a season for insect pests and fungal diseases in our area. The moist humid weather during much of February caused many cases of blight, mildew and other fungus infections, as well as an explosion in insect numbers including whitefly, aphids, scale and caterpillars.
Maintain vigilant monitoring on crops for white fly and caterpillar damage on tomatoes and cucurbits - it is wise to spray at first sign to keep the population down for as long as possible. (Populations can build rapidly and once in large numbers control is virtually impossible). Mavrik is a good control - concentrate on the new growth where the pest is worst. It is worth adding Greenguard to control powdery mildew on cucurbits and to protect tomatoes from blight.
Another prevalent pest is the passion vine hopper, which attacks a wide range of plants. Most insecticides will control this (Mavrik, Confidor), although you have to be quick to get the liittle blighters. Shield is an excellent control on ornamentals.
Citrus It has been a good season for citrus but be wary, I have recently seen a lot of trees covered in sooty mould and closer inspection shows a heavy infestation of scale on the undersides of leaves. Now is the time to spray Conqueror oil to clean up and protect the new season's growth. A follow-up spray later in March would be advisable.
Now is also a good time to fertilise citrus and ensure they are being watered deeply. The plants will have fruit formed on them and if they become stressed due to drought, fruit may drop or quality deteriorate. If your citrus are in pots or containers ensure you use a specialist fertiliser, such as Osmocote citrus fertiliser. The addition of Saturaid re-wetting granules to citrus in containers is highly recommended and should be applied annually. It channels water to the root zone and promotes even water distribution so there is less run off and fewer dry spots in potting mix and soils. It makes watering, rainfall and fertilisers more effective. It can also be used in the garden even in sandy, clay or compacted soils.
¦Gareth Carter is general manager of Springvale Garden Centre.