Tea Tree

Lavender Queen Tea Tree (Leptospermum 'Lavender Queen') is an Australian native shrub to about 2m tall and 1.5m wide that covers itself in mauve to lilac pink flowers in spring. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant, content in poor soil and unbothered by coastal salt, one of the easier flowering natives to keep alive.

Why you'll love it

• Mauve to lilac pink spring flowers. A heavy display in a colour you rarely get from a native shrub this tough.
• Hard to kill once established. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, poor soil tolerant and salt tolerant, so it handles the difficult corners of a garden.
• The right size for a suburban block. At 2m by 1.5m it screens at fence height without ever becoming a tree.
• Birds and pollinators use it heavily. Small honeyeaters, bees and butterflies all work the flowers.
• Suits cool and warm gardens alike. Subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates all grow it well.

Where it works best

Informal screening and hedging. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Tea trees make a soft twiggy screen rather than a clipped wall, so accept a slightly loose face and tip prune every year.

Coastal gardens. Salt tolerance and a wind hardy frame make it a genuine front line coastal shrub.

Feature planting in a small garden. One plant in flower carries a small courtyard through spring, and the fine foliage keeps it light the rest of the year.

Growing Lavender Queen Tea Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, because flowering thins in shade. It is frost hardy once established and suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, which covers most of the country. Humid tropical gardens are the weak spot, since tea trees want air movement.

Soil. Drainage matters far more than fertility. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils are all fine. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound, because tea trees resent staying wet.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feed lightly, if at all, with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring. Rich feeding gives soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Tip prune straight after flowering, taking only the outer 10 to 15cm. Tea trees do not reliably reshoot from bare old wood, so never cut into leafless stems.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is grown in tube stock. A tube is a young plant, usually a single stem under 30cm, and for a native shrub that is an advantage: the roots go in undisturbed, it establishes fast, and it costs little enough to plant a whole screen. Expect a real shrub by the end of its second growing season, and the first decent flowering in the second spring.

Tube stock travels well because the root ball is compact and the top growth is light. Plant it out promptly, water it in, and keep it damp for the first month. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read our guide to growing tea trees in Australia.
• For a low weeping form to about 1.5m, see Pink Cascade Tea Tree.
• Browse the wider Australian native plants range.
• See what else works in coastal gardens.

Common questions

How far apart for a screen?

One metre apart in a single row for an informal screen. Two rows staggered at 1m spacing give a thicker windbreak on an exposed coastal block.

Can I cut it back hard?

No. Tea trees rarely reshoot from bare wood, so prune lightly and often. A tip prune after flowering each year keeps one dense.

Why has an established plant died suddenly?

Wet feet is the usual answer. Tea trees will not sit in soil that stays saturated, so on clay plant them high and stop watering an established plant on a schedule.