Yellow Tea Tree

Yellow Tea Tree (Leptospermum polygalifolium) is the low fuss native screen for gardens with poor soil and plenty of exposure. It reaches about 3m tall and 2.5m wide, with fine arching foliage and a heavy spring flowering that bees work from dawn. Despite the common name the flowers open white to cream rather than yellow, and they cover the plant thickly enough to change the look of a whole boundary.

Why you'll love it

• A screen at a useful height. About 3m by 2.5m untrimmed, which clears a standard fence without shading the house or the neighbouring garden.
• Bees and birds arrive with the flowers. The spring flush is one of the heaviest of any native shrub, and honeyeaters work it alongside the bees and butterflies.
• Poor soil suits it. Thin, gravelly and sandy ground is where it grows naturally, so it needs no soil rebuild and no regular feeding.
• Tough where it counts. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, and salt tolerant enough for a coastal boundary. The fine foliage moves in wind rather than fighting it.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 1m apart for a dense screen. The canopies meet in two to three seasons at that spacing, and one trim a year holds the finished height anywhere between 2m and 3m.

Windbreaks and coastal boundaries. A staggered double row at 1m spacing filters wind rather than blocking it, which is what an exposed block needs. Salt spray does not burn the foliage.

Feature planting. Left unpruned it develops a loose arching shape with papery bark on older stems, so it stands on its own in a native bed.

Growing Yellow Tea Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and heaviest flowering; part shade thins it noticeably. It is frost hardy and suits warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens. The humid wet tropics and the arid inland are outside its range.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly or poor soil is ideal, and slightly acidic ground suits it best. Drainage is the one requirement, so on heavy clay plant on a raised mound with coarse compost worked through.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feed lightly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, or not at all on reasonable soil.

Pruning. Tip prune from the day you plant, then trim straight after flowering each year. Like most tea trees it is reluctant to reshoot from thick bare wood, so avoid hard cuts.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow it in three sizes: 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six and 250mm in packs of three, with the 250mm on backorder at times. The 140mm packs are the value choice for a long boundary, while the 200mm and 250mm plants arrive already branched and give a visible screen a season sooner.

Fine leaved natives can drop a little foliage in transit, which is normal, and new growth follows within four to six weeks in warm conditions. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant and trim a hedge that stays sharp
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• Browse the wider Australian native range
• Plants that bring bees and butterflies into the garden

Common questions

Are the flowers actually yellow?

No. They open white to cream, and the common name comes from the plant rather than the petals. The flowering is heavy enough that the whole shrub reads as pale cream for several weeks in spring.

How far apart for a screen?

One metre apart in a single row. Tighter spacing does not close the screen faster and makes the base harder to keep furnished, while wider spacing leaves gaps at eye height for several years.

Can I keep it lower than 3m?

Yes. One trim a year straight after flowering holds it comfortably at 2m. Cut into the soft outer growth only, because tea trees rarely reshoot from thick bare wood.