Nanum Rubrum Tea Tree

Nanum Rubrum Tea Tree (Leptospermum scoparium 'Nanum Rubrum') is a dwarf manuka that settles at about 80cm tall and 80cm wide, small enough for a pot, a rockery pocket or the front row of a border. Through spring it covers itself in small red and pink flowers, dense enough to hide the fine grey green foliage underneath. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant once established and comfortable in salt air.

Why you'll love it

• Genuinely compact. At roughly 80cm each way it keeps its shape without pruning, so it will not outgrow a courtyard bed or a 400mm pot.
• Flowers you notice from the street. Red and pink blooms smother the plant in spring, carried right to the tips of every stem.
• It feeds the garden. Bees and butterflies work the open flowers, and small birds shelter in the fine twiggy growth.
• Hardy where it counts. Frost, dry spells and coastal salt are all handled once it is established.

Where it works best

Borders and mass planting. Plant 60cm apart for a low massed border that reads as one continuous band of colour, or use a single row as a soft edge along a path.

Pots and small gardens. A 400mm pot of free draining mix suits it for years. It is one of the few natives that suits a courtyard without constant cutting back.

Rockeries. Sharp drainage between rocks is exactly what it wants, and the low mound suits a raised bed.

Growing Nanum Rubrum Tea Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering and the tightest habit. This is a plant for cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens: it takes frost without protection, but constant tropical humidity is not its climate.

Soil. Free draining and slightly acidic is ideal. It will not accept waterlogging, so on heavy clay plant on a raised mound and open the bed up with coarse compost.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as it establishes. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, because standard garden fertilisers can burn the roots.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after flowering, taking no more than the top third of the new growth. Tea trees do not reliably reshoot from bare wood, so never cut back into old stems.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: a 140mm pack of ten, the value choice for a border or mass planting, and a 200mm pack of six for a quicker result. Both arrive as young bushy plants rather than instant colour, and the 200mm size is currently on backorder.

Plants are packed upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Some flower drop in transit is normal. Expect the first real display in the season after planting, and a closed border within about two years. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to grow and prune leptospermum
• Browse more Australian native shrubs
• Compare low growers in our rockery plants range
• See what else draws pollinators in bee and butterfly plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Sixty centimetres apart for a low massed border or edge. At that spacing the plants meet within about two seasons without shading out their own centres.

Will it grow in a pot?

Yes. A 400mm pot of free draining mix holds it comfortably, and the compact habit means no repotting for several years. Water more often than you would in the ground, because pots dry out quickly in summer.

Will it grow in southern gardens?

Yes. Cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean climates all suit it, which covers most of Victoria, South Australia and southern Western Australia. Humid tropical gardens are the poor fit here, not cold ones.

Why does my tea tree die back after a wet spell?

Almost always drainage. Leptospermum roots will not sit in saturated soil, so raise the planting position on clay and never leave a potted plant standing in a full saucer.