The Western Australian willow myrtle (Agonis flexuosa) is a hardy evergreen tree with graceful weeping foliage, fibrous bark and lance-shaped leaves. It is native to Western Australia but will grow in most areas of Australia except for the mountains and Hobart.
During a recent street walk in Melbourne Don came across ‘Pied Piper’, a very pretty variegated variety of Agonis flexuosa. However, the top half of the tree had reverted to plain green, giving a curious layered effect. This is an excellent lesson for people who grow variegated plants: unless vigorous green shoots are removed they will eventually take over completely, and the attractive variegation will be lost.