Tea Tree

Ballerina Tea Tree (Leptospermum 'Ballerina') is a compact Australian tea tree that dresses itself each spring in a tutu of soft pink blossom, each small flower crowding the fine stems until the whole 2m shrub reads as one drift of colour. Between shows it is a neat, fine leafed native, drought tolerant, frost hardy, salt tolerant and untroubled by poor soil, with bees, butterflies and small honeyeaters working it whenever it blooms.

Why you'll love it

• A pink spring event. The massed blossom display rivals any exotic flowering shrub, on a fraction of the water.
• Native toughness. Frost, drought, sandy hungry soils and coastal wind are all home territory.
• The right hedge scale. At about 2m by 1.5m it makes an informal flowering hedge at 1m spacings without swallowing the bed.
• Wildlife per square metre. Tea tree flowers are pollinator magnets, feeding native bees and butterflies for weeks.
• Fine textured all year. The small leaves give a soft, feathery presence that flatters both native and cottage plantings.

Where it works best

Informal hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart for a soft 1.5m to 2m flowering hedge along a fence or drive.

Coastal gardens. Tea trees grew on the dunes before the suburbs arrived; salt wind is no obstacle.

Mass planting. Drifts of three to seven among grasses and westringias build the classic modern native border.

Pots. A 40cm container keeps it compact and brings the spring show onto a patio.

Growing Ballerina Tea Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering and tightest habit. It performs in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates, and takes frost once established.

Soil. Free draining above all: sand, gravel and lean loams are perfect. On heavy clay, mound the bed. It resents wet feet more than drought.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feed lightly with a native safe, low phosphorus fertiliser in spring.

Pruning. The one rule with tea trees: trim lightly straight after flowering, every year, and never cut into old bare wood. Little and often keeps it dense for decades.

What to expect when it arrives

Ballerina ships as economical tubes and in 140mm pots in packs of 10, the formats suited to hedges and drifts, and both are currently in stock. Tubestock establishes quickly and typically flowers its second spring; 140mm plants often flower their first. Delivery is Australia wide, from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse Australian native shrubs
• More bee and butterfly friendly plants
• Coastal and salt tolerant plants

Common questions

When does it flower and for how long?

Spring is the main event, typically four to six weeks of massed blossom, with scattered flowers either side in mild climates.

Why did my tea tree go leggy?

Missed pruning. Tea trees set their density in the trim after flowering; skip a few years and they open up permanently, because they will not reshoot from old wood. Start light annual trims from year one.

Is this the tea tree that makes tea tree oil?

Close relative. The commercial oil comes from Melaleuca alternifolia; Ballerina is an ornamental Leptospermum selection grown for flowers, though the crushed leaves share that clean bush scent.

Will it handle my sandy coastal block?

That is exactly the country tea trees come from. Sand, salt and wind produce a denser, more floriferous shrub than pampered garden beds do.