Tea Tree

Tea Tree 'Julie Ann' (Leptospermum scoparium 'Julie Ann') covers itself in deep red double flowers, each closer to a tiny rose than a bush blossom. It reaches about 1.2m tall and 1.2m wide, so it suits a low hedge or a courtyard bed rather than the back of a border. Bronze new growth carries the colour between flushes.

Why you'll love it

• Double flowers, not the usual single. The blooms are packed with petals in deep red and smother the plant rather than dotting it.
• A native that behaves. At 1.2m each way it stays where you put it, which is rare among tea trees.
• Built for a hard site. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, wind tolerant and salt tolerant, so an exposed coastal front garden suits it.
• Birds and pollinators use it. Small honeyeaters work the flowers and native bees follow.
• Very little upkeep. One light trim after flowering is the whole job.

Where it works best

Low hedging and borders. Plant 70cm apart for a dense low hedge. At that spacing the plants close into a continuous line at waist height, ideal for defining a front garden without losing the view.

Coastal and windy gardens. Salt and wind tolerance make it a genuine front line plant. On an exposed block, a staggered double row at 70cm centres filters wind instead of taking it head on.

Feature planting and pots. A single specimen in a 400mm pot suits a sunny courtyard, and container growing holds it closer to 1m.

Growing tea tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun is essential for dense growth and a proper display. This selection suits warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and handles frost once established. Humid summers are the limit, so in tropical and subtropical areas expect fungal leaf problems and a shorter life.

Soil. Free draining soil is not negotiable, and sandy or gravelly ground is ideal. On clay, mound the bed up by 200mm to 300mm, because wet feet through winter is the usual cause of sudden death in tea trees.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week for the first two summers, then taper right off. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser once in early spring and skip general purpose fertiliser, which this genus resents.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after flowering, taking no more than a third of the season's growth. Never cut into bare old wood, because tea trees rarely reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is grown as tube stock, so expect a young plant of roughly 15cm to 25cm with fine twiggy growth. That is normal for the genus, and tube stock is the smart way to buy tea trees anyway: their fine roots resent disturbance, so small plants establish faster than larger ones.

Plants travel well, though some leaf drop is common. They are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, so tube stock orders are usually built up to hedge quantities. Expect a quiet first month, then steady growth, with a low hedge closing over about two seasons. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete leptospermum care guide
• Browse Australian native shrubs
• Compare salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens
• Shop bird attracting plants

Common questions

How far apart for a hedge?

Seventy centimetres apart in a single row gives a dense low hedge. Planting tighter does not close the gap faster and makes the centre of the row hard to water in the first summer.

Can I cut it back hard if it gets woody?

No, and this is the main thing to know about tea trees. They seldom reshoot from bare old wood, so a hard cutback usually leaves a permanent hole. Trim lightly every year after flowering instead.

Why did my last tea tree die suddenly?

Almost always drainage. Leptospermums are highly sensitive to waterlogged roots and to phosphorus rich fertiliser. Plant on a mound in heavy soil and feed only with a low phosphorus native blend.