Melaleuca systema
Looking for spectacular flowering plants that are also resistant to drought? Then the Melaleuca they're for you. Originally from Australia, they are used to living in areas where rainfall is scarce.
Its cultivation and maintenance is very simple, suitable for beginners. Being very grateful, you can have it in all kinds of gardens.
melaleuca nesophila
Melaleuca is a botanical genus that includes some 236 species. All of them grow as trees or shrubs, whose height ranges from 2 to 30 meters. Its leaves are evergreen, 1 to 25 centimeters long, and its beautiful flowers are produced in clusters during spring and / or early summer. The fruit is a very small capsule inside which are many tiny seeds.
In cultivation they are exceptional plants for low maintenance gardens, since not only do they withstand long periods of drought - once established - but also they can grow in all types of terrain, including clay that have a tendency to compact and / or those threatened by erosion.
melaleuca linariifolia
Its growth rate is slow-medium, but I can tell you that from the second year it accelerates a lot. Me M.armillaris During the first 12 months it hardly grew, but in the following 4 years it went from measuring about 40cm in height, to exceeding 2m. Also, keep in mind that when she is young she will need more watering than when she is an adult. In general, it will be necessary to water 2-3 times a week in summer, and 1 or 2 weekly the rest of the year. From the second year on, the risks can be progressively spaced.
She does not tolerate transplantation very well, but she does supports very well frosts down to -5ºC. It is, therefore, an ideal plant to have in a wide variety of climates, as long as it is planted in a sunny area.
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