Midyim

Austromyrtus dulcis

White, purple-speckled berries that taste of spiced apple, on a neat low shrub.

Type: shrub · berries and small fruit
Hardiness: zones 9 to 11
Light: part shade to full sun
Size: about 3 ft tall, 4 ft wide
Harvest: July to September
From: SE Queensland and NE New South Wales
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food, wildlife.

Native to: Australia. Hardy in zones 9 to 11.

The story

Midyim, the Australian blueberry, grows in the coastal heath of Queensland and New South Wales, where Aboriginal peoples gathered the speckled white berries by the handful; it is small, tough and sweet, and now a bush-food shrub for sandy gardens.

Planting

Full sun or part shade, sandy drained soil, and a frost-light climate. Plant in spring; a low shrub to 3 feet.

Growing

Water in dry spells; mulch. Clip lightly after fruiting. It tolerates salt and poor soil.

Harvest and use

Berries ripen white with purple speckles in autumn; sweet with a ginger-spice note. Eat fresh.

What to watch for

Frost and heavy clay.

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More berries and small fruit

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home