It is going into a large area where all there is are trees & dirt. Thanks for the advice, Judy.

I'd have to second that thought about being very sure you want it. It goes crazy - and although I didn't have too much of a problem with other insects, the flys were unbelievable! Even my 12 year old noticed that the flys were hatching under there, so bad this year that I am yanking all of mine out.

white flies or flies flies?

FLIES!!! Millions of them-

Weird. If they are house flies, then something must have crawled under the myoporum and died. I've never run across maggots that ate anything but meat.

One thing that I've noted since moving to the area is the scarcity of house flies.

Is there a bad odor in the area?

Flies sure seems to like animal waste; no meat there.... ??

No odors, and nothing dead. Probably not really "hatching" under there, but they sure do like it enough - we always have lots of flies around there and mine is right at the corner of driveway and porch. Very inconvenient spot for flies.
I did see something on t.v. one time that scorpions like to live under them, but I have not found one under mine, at least not yet.

Pagancat,

Flies like animal waste for food (ugghh!), or it seems that way, at least, but I've never encountered maggots (baby flies) in anything but a dead carcass.

I will be sure not to fetilize with manure.

I have large patch of myoporum out front and no flies are in it.

We are considering planting Myoporum on our bank (which receives full sun)and would like advice. We have poor soil, but this plant was recommended by a landscaper. I'm concerned about it being too invasive. Are there other pros and cons? Is it that hard to control? Would it be attractive on a bank? How high does it grow (we'd like something which grows fairly low to the ground. Is anyone very pleased with it? Or, is there an alternative small plant or groundcover which doesn't require a lot of water or care which would be good for a bank?

Myoporum will spread out from a central root in all directions. If there is moist ground where it is spreading out it will attempt to put down roots as it spreads. If you give it adequate water at the central root point it won't root on the radial branches as much. In my experience it is easy to control. ItÂs a plant that is easily controlled with water. Just keep the edges trimmed back. The tallest mine ever got was about 12" high and the one plant grew to be about 10' across in all directions with a single dripper on the central root area. When I decided to remove it, 90% of the plant came up as one large mat. The other pieces and small roots and came out easily. The stems can be brittle, so it doesnÂt take heavy traffic, but will stand up to occasional traffic well. Any ground cover in Arizona that supplies shade will have a community of fauna that take advantage of it. I never had major problems with any type of infestation, but then, we have a regular pest control program and we stick to it. We live in a scorpion area and we treat to keep their food supply in check. It was by far the most maintenance free ground cover for the location that IÂve planted. I removed it to plant wildflowers, which in retrospect may have been a mistake. Cleaning up after the wildflowers die back, is a lot more work that the occasional trim job on the myoporum. Just my observations. FWIW :-)

Most of the problems with myoporum result from too much water. Excess water results in rampant, weak growth. After becoming established it requires almost no supplemental water. I have an area of myoporum that has been in for 15 years. I do not water it. It is green and healthy, but does not spread much nor get too tall.

We live in Las Vegas, and have a Rabbit problem. Our landscaper suggested Myoporum as a ground cover. Anybody have a problem with Rabbits in Phoenix?

Do the shoots from the plant die off in bunches that will leave bare spots

I also live in Las Vegas and am considering planting over the septic leach field. Anyone know how deep the roots travel into the ground?

to Runner9k. Any plant that is 'drought tolerant' will have a deep root system. That's one strategy the plant uses to stay alive during a drought.

Any special tips on planting? I will be planting on a steep hill in San Diego. Thanks for the help.

I have planted myoporum on my bank and it's spreading nicely. In full sun and no problems with pests or anything else. I also planted among the myoporum manzanita "emerald carpet". It seems to be dying and in some spots the myoporum is overtaking it. Any ideas on what other ground covers can co exist with the myoporum? Just want some variety in the landscape. Thanks.

We planted myoporum and have a huge issue with nutsedge growing in it. I have no idea have to get rid of the nutsedge without killing the myoporum. There is too much to pull manually. Any advice on chemicals to use would be greatly appreaciated :)

I noticed flies mentioned above. I have 5 myoporum and when they bloom, flies love it. I imagine the flowers give off some scent that attracts flies (these were your typical medium sized houseflies) and the flies act as pollinators. When there’s no flowers, I haven’t seen any flies.

I have had White Myoporum for about 5 years. Full and lush until this winter. All of the sudden it died out terribly. From the posts above I'm assuming it might have had to much water. I cut it back alot, will see how it comes back. Before this it was easy to maintain, grew like crazy but does attract thousands of flies while in bloom for a few weeks. Looking for something to keep the flies away