3. Good Organic Gardening - May-June 2016 AvxHome.in

CLEVER CROP | Tazziberry
Tazziberry
Myrtus ugni
Though it hails not from the Apple Isle
but from faraway Chile, this bittersweet
fruit has made itself at home
Words Jennifer Stackhouse
After lunch at a friend’s house, the
hostess places a bowl of small, red
berries on the table. “Tazziberries,”
she says. “Try them.”
They are little berries with a pleasant
mix of sweet and tart flavours that makes
them very moreish. Although there are some
commercial growers, this is not a fruit that’s
widely available, which makes it a treat to enjoy
straight from your own bush in the garden.
Tazziberry is a marketing name as the
berries are not native to Tasmania (indeed,
across the ditch they’re known as New Zealand
cranberries). Rather, they come from South
America, making their other common name,
Chilean guava, a more accurate description.
The Tazziberry is part of the genus Myrtus
Tazziberry label
Common name: Tazziberry, Chilean guava,
strawberry myrtle, ugniberry
Botanical name: Myrtus ugni
Family: Myrtaceae (myrtle family)
Requires: Full sun to part shade, welldrained
soil
Dislikes: Prolonged wet soils or drying out
Suitable for: Low edible hedge, container
Habit: Shrub 1.5–3m tall
Needs: Occasional prune
Propagation: Seed, cutting, potted plants
Difficulty: Easy
The shrub isn’t just pretty
while in fruit. In spring,
it’s smothered in clusters
of small, pink, bellshaped
flowers.
and has given its name to the large Myrtaceae
family, which also includes Australian natives
such as the eucalypt and lilly pilly.
The small, round, red berries are highly
ornamental as well as edible and, when they
ripen in autumn, they transform what could be
a compact, retiring bush into a feature in the
garden. The shrub isn’t just pretty while in fruit.
In spring, it’s smothered in clusters of small,
pink, bell-shaped flowers.
This shrub has long been grown in cool
climates as a low-care, evergreen hedge, but its
commercial potential has only been explored in
the past decade in Australia.
Growing tips
Tazziberries are a no-fuss plant in the right
climate, which is cool to mild, so are best
grown in the southern parts of Australia. Once
established, they need little care other than a
light clip after harvest to keep them in shape.
The new growth is bronze toned.
For abundant berries, apply fertiliser in
spring and extra water when times are dry.
Spread a thin (2–5cm) layer of organic mulch
around the plant.
As the shrubs are compact, easy to prune,
tolerant of both sun and part shade and
adaptable to all sorts of soils, they make an
ideal hedge plant for a 1–2m hedge.
Eat the fruit fresh off the bush as you garden
or gather them to add to breakfast cereal, mix
through an autumn fruit salad or use a handful
to top desserts.
Sciadopitys, Peganum CC
14 | Good Organic Gardening