Tea Tree

Tea Tree 'Pageant' (Leptospermum 'Pageant') is the flowering native for a spot that defeats everything else: hot, windy, salty or plain poor soil. It settles at around 2m tall and 1.5m wide, then covers itself in pink blooms that pull honeyeaters and native bees in. The rest of the year it reads as a neat, fine leaved evergreen shrub.

Why you'll love it

• Pink flowers on a tough frame. The main flush smothers the branches, and fine aromatic foliage carries the plant between displays.
• Genuinely hard to kill. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil, so it suits coastal blocks and beds that have never been improved.
• A hedge that earns its keep. At 2m it lands at fence height, so a row at 1m spacing screens a boundary and flowers while it does it.
• Food for local wildlife. Nectar rich blooms bring honeyeaters, native bees and butterflies into a suburban street.
• Low maintenance once away. One light trim a year after flowering keeps it dense. No spraying, no staking, no feeding routine.

Where it works best

Informal flowering hedge. Plant 1m apart in a single row. The canopies knit within two seasons, and the result is soft and shrubby rather than clipped, which suits a native or cottage garden far better than a formal box hedge.

Coastal and exposed gardens. Salt tolerance and a wiry frame let it hold up on beachside blocks and windy corners where softer shrubs burn at the tips.

Pots and borders. A container 400mm or wider suits it, and potted plants settle at 1.2m to 1.5m. In a bed it sits well behind lower natives.

Growing Tea Tree 'Pageant' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; part shade thins the display. It grows well in warm temperate, cool temperate, subtropical and Mediterranean gardens, and being frost hardy it handles cold southern winters once established. Constant wet season humidity in the far north is the one climate it dislikes.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. It grows in sand, gravel and thin clay, but waterlogging kills it, so mound the bed on heavy ground and mulch 75mm deep clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, since standard garden fertiliser at full rate can damage the roots.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after flowering, taking no more than a third of the new growth. Leptospermums are reluctant to reshoot from bare old wood, so shape it yearly rather than cutting a neglected plant back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tube stock: young single stemmed plants 15cm to 25cm tall. Small natives root out faster than advanced stock and catch up within two seasons, so a tube is the sensible buy. Expect a real display in the second spring rather than the first.

Tube stock travels well because there is little top growth to knock about. Plant it out, water it in, and keep the water up for six weeks. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Designing a native garden that attracts wildlife
• Browse the full Australian native shrub range
• Compare screening plants that finish at 1m to 2m
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row gives a continuous informal hedge in about two seasons. For single feature shrubs, allow 1.5m so each plant shows its natural shape.

Will it survive frost?

Yes, it is frost hardy once established, which covers cool temperate and tableland gardens. Protect a newly planted tube through its first winter on the coldest nights.

Can I keep it smaller than 2m?

A trim after each flowering holds it at 1.2m to 1.5m. Stay within the leafy growth when you cut, because going back into bare wood often leaves a permanent gap.