Claret Tops Melaleuca

Claret Tops Melaleuca (Melaleuca linariifolia 'Claret Tops') is a dwarf form of the snow in summer paperbark, holding at about 2m tall and 1.5m wide instead of growing into a tree. The new growth flushes claret red over fine needle foliage, and in summer the whole shrub disappears under white flowers. It is one of very few hedging natives that copes with wet ground and dry spells equally well.

Why you'll love it

• Claret new growth all season. Every flush comes through deep red before hardening to green, so a trimmed hedge holds colour.
• Snow in summer flowering. Dense white bottlebrush flowers cover the plant and draw bees, butterflies and nectar feeding birds.
• Wet feet or dry, it copes. Wet feet tolerant and drought tolerant in the one plant, the answer for a low corner that floods and then bakes.
• A hedge at a useful height. The dwarf habit sits at 2m by 1.5m, tall enough to screen a fence line and short enough to trim from the ground.
• Frost and salt. Frost hardy and salt tolerant, from the tropics through to cool temperate gardens.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row. The canopies knit into a solid face within two seasons, and the fine foliage clips into a cleaner line than most natives manage.

Damp and difficult ground. This is the standout use. Wet feet tolerance means it grows along a drainage swale, at the low end of a block, or in the clay pocket where other shrubs have drowned.

Mass planting. The same 1m spacing gives quick cover across a bank.

Growing Claret Tops Melaleuca in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and the strongest claret colour on the new tips. It performs across tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and being frost hardy it handles genuine cold.

Soil. Close to anything: heavy clay, ground that stays damp after rain, and poorer sandy soils alike. Work compost through the bed, then mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then step back, since established plants are drought tolerant. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring.

Pruning. It reshoots from old wood, so a neglected plant can be cut back hard and recovered. Trim after the summer flowering, and again in early spring for a tighter face. Each trim triggers a fresh claret flush.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, a 140mm pack of ten and a 200mm pack of six, matched to the way it is planted. Ten 140mm plants at 1m spacing gives roughly a 10m hedge run and six 200mm plants covers about 6m. Tube stock is the economical route for a long boundary.

Plants arrive as upright young shrubs with fine foliage that can look sparse in the pot and thickens quickly once tip pruned. Start trimming from planting, because early pruning builds density at the base. 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

• Identifying and caring for paperbark trees
• Browse the full melaleuca range
• Compare screening plants in the 1m to 2m range
• More Australian native shrubs for hedging

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. That closes into a solid hedge within two seasons at around 2m tall, and leaves each plant enough root run to stay evenly fed.

Will it really grow in wet soil?

Yes. It is wet feet tolerant, so ground that stays damp after rain or sits at the low point of a block suits it. It is equally drought tolerant once established, which is why it handles a site that swings between the two.

Can I cut it back hard if it gets away from me?

Yes. It reshoots reliably from old wood, so an overgrown plant can be cut back hard in early spring and will refurnish from the base.

Western Australia: this plant is listed as an environmental weed in WA, where it escapes from gardens into bushland. We do not recommend it for WA gardens. Please choose a local alternative.