Dwarf Red Tea Tree

Dwarf Red Tea Tree (Leptospermum scoparium 'Nanum Rubrum') is a compact manuka type tea tree that holds at roughly 80cm tall and wide, with fine dark foliage smothered in small red to pink flowers. It is the tea tree that actually fits a rockery, a border or a courtyard pot, with no shaping needed. Tough on poor soil, drought and salt spray, it asks for one thing in return: drainage.

Why you'll love it

• Small enough for any garden. At 80cm by 80cm it works in the front row of a bed, along a path or in a pot.
• A heavy flowering season. The fine branches carry masses of red to pink blooms, dense enough that the foliage almost disappears.
• Birds, bees and butterflies. A native that genuinely earns its place in a wildlife garden.
• Hard site tolerance. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil, so a sandy coastal verge or a dry bank suits it.

Where it works best

Borders and edging. Plant 60cm apart for a low, informal border. The plants touch without crowding, which keeps air moving through the fine foliage.

Rockeries and dry banks. Sharp drainage between rocks and gravel is exactly the situation it prefers, and the low mound suits the scale.

Pots and small gardens. A 300mm pot with a free draining native mix is ample. Grouped in threes it reads as a soft, flowering hedge in a courtyard.

Growing Dwarf Red Tea Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day, with good air movement. It is frost hardy and at home in cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens. It also grows in the subtropics, but be realistic: it dislikes heavy summer humidity, so in humid coastal areas it is shorter lived and needs the most open position you have.

Soil. Free draining and on the lean side. Sand, gravel and poor rocky ground all suit it. On clay, plant on a raised mound with coarse sand or scoria through the backfill, because wet feet is the usual cause of sudden collapse.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feed sparingly with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, since rich feeding gives soft growth and fewer flowers.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after flowering to keep it dense. Never cut back into bare old wood, because tea trees do not reliably reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock, so it arrives as a small, young, well rooted plant rather than a flowering shrub. That is the practical way to buy it: tea trees establish better from a small root system, and tubes suit a border at 60cm spacing.

Growth is slow and steady rather than dramatic. Expect it to look modest for its first season while the roots go down, then thicken and flower properly in its second. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the full leptospermum care guide.
• Compare other Australian native shrubs.
• Browse more plants for rockeries.
• See our bee and butterfly plants.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Sixty centimetres apart for a low border or mass planting. Tighter spacing reduces airflow through the fine foliage, which is the main thing to avoid in a humid climate.

Will it grow in Brisbane or the tropics?

It grows in the subtropics in a sunny, open, well drained position, but humid summers shorten its life. It performs best in cooler, drier temperate and Mediterranean gardens.

Why did an established plant die suddenly?

Almost always drainage. Tea trees will sit apparently healthy through a wet spell and then collapse from root rot, so raise the planting position on any soil that holds water.