Pink Cascade Tea Tree

Pink Cascade Tea Tree (Leptospermum 'Pink Cascade') is a weeping Australian native that grows about 1.5m tall and spreads to 2.5m, built to spill. In spring the arching branches are lined with soft pink flowers, and for the rest of the year the fine weeping foliage does the work, draping over retaining walls, banks and rockery edges.

Why you'll love it

• A true weeper. The cascading habit is natural, not trained, so it drapes over walls and slopes from its first season.
• Pink spring flowers. Massed small blooms along every stem feed bees, butterflies and nectar loving birds.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established and untroubled by poor soil.
• Happy by the sea. Salt laden coastal wind that burns softer plants leaves it unmarked.
• Low maintenance. One light trim a year is the entire program.

Where it works best

Retaining walls and slopes. Plant it at the top of a wall or on an embankment and let the branches pour over the edge. It holds ground on dry banks that are awkward to mow or weed.

Mass planting. Plant 1.5m apart for a flowing massed display that reads as one continuous drift once the plants knit together.

Coastal gardens and rockeries. It tucks around boulders and takes frontline salt wind, softening hard landscaping without hiding it.

Growing Pink Cascade Tea Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings the heaviest flowering. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates and is frost hardy, so most of southern Australia is comfortable territory.

Soil. Free draining soil is the only real request. Sandy, rocky and poor soils are all acceptable, and there is no need to enrich the planting hole.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first summer, then leave it to the weather in most gardens. A light application of low phosphorus native fertiliser in spring is plenty.

Pruning. Trim lightly after flowering to keep the mound dense, staying within the leafy growth. Like most tea trees it is slow to reshoot from bare wood, so little and often beats one hard cut.

What to expect when it arrives

Pink Cascade is sold as tube stock and in 140mm packs of 10 and 200mm packs of 6, sized for mass planting projects. Tubes are small on arrival but establish quickly and catch up fast; the 140mm and 200mm plants arrive already mounding and weeping. All sizes travel well, and you can expect them to settle in within a few weeks in the warm months, flowering by their first or second spring. 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

• Browse all Australian native plants
• More plants for retaining walls
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants
• Designing a native garden that attracts wildlife

Common questions

How far will it hang over a wall?

The branches weep to ground level, so on a low wall expect the face to be curtained. Allow for the full 2.5m spread when you position each plant.

What spacing should I use for mass planting?

Plant 1.5m apart. The mounds meet within a couple of seasons and flow together into a single cascading bank.

Is it frost hardy?

Yes. Established plants handle frosty winters in cool temperate gardens without protection. Young plants appreciate some shelter through their first winter.

How hard can I prune it?

Trim as often as you like within the foliage, but avoid cutting back into bare leafless wood, which tea trees are slow to regrow from. An annual light trim after flowering is ideal.