Pittwater Life Febraury 2024 Issue

Garden Life
with Gabrielle Bryant
Garden Life
Lemon myrtles: essential oils
and magic for your cooking
The lemon myrtle
tree, backhousia
citriodora, has been
used by the indigenous
population of Australia
for thousands of years,
both as tucker food,
as an insect repellent
and in medicinal herbal
remedies. The essential
oils of the lemon myrtle
have antifungal and antiinflammatory
properties.
The lemon scent of the
crushed leaves is known
to repel insects and is
a more friendly method
of repelling insects than
modern chemical sprays.
It was first discovered and
introduced for modern use
by James Backhouse an
English botanist in 1853,
and is now used in the
cosmetic industry, as a
culinary additive and for
aromatherapy.
The lemon Myrtle is
an attractive, small tree
that can be hedged or
grown as an ornamental
small tree. The glossy,
bright green leaves
contrast against the fluffy
white flowers in Summer
and the lemon scent
of the crushed leaves
is unrivalled. Plant this
rainforest tree close to
paths and walkways to
enjoy the fragrance that is
released as you brush by.
It is a small tree that
is easily maintained,
making it perfect for small
gardens and as a street
tree under the power lines.
It loves sun or semi shade
and once established will
tolerate most climatic
conditions, including
drought and heavy rain.
Pick the leaves and
enjoy a sensational cup
of lemon tree; use them
in cooking together with
fish, lamb, BBQs and
salads; or in cheesecakes,
muffins and sweet desert
recipes. Crushed and dried
the leaves can be stored
for use as a lemon-flavour
herb in any recipe that
uses lemons.
Caring for
crepe myrtles
The crepe myrtle trees, largerstroemia
indica, are looking gorgeous. They
love the hot, humid weather. They
are flowering now and can be seen
everywhere. The colours can be white,
pink, lavender, crimson or red. Sadly,
many are planted as street trees that
grow uncared for and get butchered
when cut back under the power lines.
To grow crepe myrtles, prune back by
one third every Winter when they lose
their leaves.
Crepe myrtles don’t have to be huge
unkept trees; there is a dwarf variety,
largerstroemia indica nana. The colours
are similar – but they are shrubs, not
trees. With all the attributes of their
taller cousins, these smaller shrubs reach
a maximum height of 1.8m – perfect
for smaller gardens, in the ground or in
large tubs in a courtyard. Prune them
back every Winter to keep them bushy
and compact.
62 FEBRUARY 2024
The Local Voice Since 1991