shrub
Southern wax myrtle
Morella cerifera
Preview: plant data is awaiting horticulturist review. A professional horticulturist hasn't reviewed our plant table yet. Lists still follow fixed rules for zone, sun, pets, deer and invasive status.
Morella cerifera is a fast-growing evergreen shrub for gardens in zones 8–10. Expect 10–15 ft of height and 8–12 ft of spread; our lists space it 9 ft apart. It does best in full sun to part shade with little water once established, and it copes with wet soil. It is grown for its year-round foliage rather than its flowers. In a FloraVista list it usually plays the anchor role: the one larger plant that anchors the back of a bigger bed. It is native to the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, Florida and the Gulf and Texas and the South-Central states. Deer usually leave it alone, and it is not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Our rules leave it out of lists in the Mountain West, the Pacific Northwest, California, the Great Plains and the Desert Southwest, where summer heat, humidity or mild winters hold it back even inside its zone range.
Facts from our plant table
- Botanical name
- Morella cerifera
- Plant type
- Shrub, evergreen
- Hardiness zones
- 8 to 10
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours); Part sun (4–6 hours); Part shade (2–4 hours)
- Water
- Low; tolerates wet soil
- Soil
- Tolerates sand, salt spray, clay and wet spells.
- Mature size
- 10–15 ft tall × 8–12 ft wide
- Spacing
- 9 ft apart (centre to centre)
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Bloom
- Grown for foliage
- Roles in a bed
- Anchor, Structure
- Styles
- natural, low water
- Deer resistance
- High: deer rarely eat it
- Pets
- Not listed as toxic to dogs or cats. Not on the ASPCA toxic list; no known toxic compounds.
- Native to
- Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Florida/Gulf and South-Central
- Pot size and price
- 3-gallon pot, typically $25–$40 (easy to find)
- Plant in
- Spring or Fall
- First-year watering
- Water weekly through the first summer to root it in, then taper off; established plants need little extra water.
- Pruning
- Remove suckers and thin in late winter; tolerates hard pruning.
Sources: UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions and EDIS fact sheets; ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list; Southeastern extension deer-resistance lists (UGA, Clemson, UF/IFAS); state noxious weed lists / Invasive Plant Atlas of the US; typical 2026 US garden-centre and big-box listings. Not yet reviewed by a horticulturist.
Good companions
The plants our list engine most often puts in the same bed as Southern wax myrtle, across the sun, zone, pet, deer and style combinations it fits.
- Turk's capMalvaviscus arboreus var. drummondiiperennial · zones 8–10
- Pink muhly grassMuhlenbergia capillarisornamental grass · zones 6–11
- Tropical sageSalvia coccineaperennial · zones 8–11
- Mexican bush sageSalvia leucanthaperennial · zones 8–11
- Dwarf yaupon holly 'Nana'Ilex vomitoria 'Nana'shrub · zones 7–10
- African irisDietes iridioidesperennial · zones 8–11
If you can't find it
Substitutes our engine offers for Southern wax myrtle: same role in the bed, passing the same rules. Some of them are flagged toxic to dogs or cats: check the pet note before you swap.
How this page was made
This page was generated from this plant's record in FloraVista's plant table by fixed rules. The companions and substitutes come from the lists our rules engine composes. No named expert has reviewed this page.
Data status: the plant table is awaiting review by a horticulturist. Check each plant with a local nursery or extension office before you buy.
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, state extension services and the USDA PLANTS database (zones, size, sun, water, bloom, native range)
- ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists (dog and cat toxicity)
- Rutgers NJAES and regional extension deer-resistance ratings
- State noxious-weed and invasive-plant lists and the Invasive Plant Atlas of the US
- Typical US garden-centre listings (pot size and price band)
Generated . How FloraVista chooses plants