Plant in sun or part shade with occasional irrigation – noted as being fairly drought tolerant by South African gardeners but seems to look its best with at least occasional irrigation. It is hardy to our southern California winters along the coast and can be grown in warmer areas of the British Isles where it is noted to survive temperatures just below 20F with the tip growth nipped back – for us it has remained evergreen without any damage from temperatures down to the mid-20s° F. This plant inhabits areas along the seashore in South Africa and is noted as tolerant of wind and coastal sea spray.

Polygala myrtifolia occurs naturally in diverse habitats from near the ocean to up in the mountains from the Western Cape Province to Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa and into Orange Free State. It is less common in the nursery trade then the popular Polygala x dalmaisiana of which Polygala myrtifolia is one parent, with the other parent being Polygala fruticosa. It differs from these others by being a much bigger plant with larger darker green foliage and larger flowers. The name Polygala is Latin from the Greek word 'polugalon' for "much milk" because of the belief that cows grazing on milkwort increased their milk production and the specific epithet comes from the foliage looking like that of the true Myrtle (Myrtus). Other common names include Augustusbossie and September Bush as peak bloom in South Africa is during later winter and spring (August-September).

This is a form of Polygala myrtifolia 'Grandiflora' that we received in 2009 from West Covina Nursery, a wholesale nursery located on More Mesa along the edge of the Goleta Valley. Though its flower color is not as dark as the form of Polygala myrtifolia 'Grandiflora' that we originally grew, it has larger flowers and larger leaves and the plant is more dense and lush looking. After years of comparing, we decided in 2013 to replace our older form with this clone and to keep track of this plant have renamed it Polygala myrtifolia 'More Mesa Grande' to honor the location of the nursery that we got it from. 

The information displayed on this page about Polygala myrtifolia 'More Mesa Grande' is based on the research we have conducted about it in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about this plant as it grows in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant have performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we have received from others and welcome hearing from anyone with information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information that will aid others to better grow it.