Tea Tree

Tea Tree 'Pacific Beauty' (Leptospermum 'Pacific Beauty') is the compact native to reach for when a hedge has to stand up to wind, salt and frost without constant attention. It grows to about 2m tall and 1.5m wide, fine leafed and twiggy right through, and covers itself in small white flowers that bring in bees, butterflies and small birds. Planted a metre apart it closes into a soft informal screen rather than a hard clipped wall.

Why you'll love it

• A screen at a useful height. Roughly 2m tall and 1.5m wide covers a fence line without becoming a tree to manage.
• Flowers that feed something. Massed white blossom draws bees and butterflies, and the twiggy structure gives small birds cover.
• Coastal and windy sites are home ground. Salt tolerant and wind tolerant, so an exposed beachside boundary will not shred it.
• Frost hardy and drought tolerant. It suits subtropical through to cool temperate and mediterranean gardens, and gets by on rain once established.

Where it works best

Screening and hedging. Plant 1m apart in a single row. Closer spacing does not close the gaps faster and only makes watering and airflow harder.

Coastal gardens and windbreaks. A double staggered row at 1m spacing filters wind rather than blocking it, which is what an exposed block needs.

Small gardens and feature planting. At 1.5m across it fits a narrow side bed, and a single plant left unclipped takes on an open, layered shape.

Growing tea tree in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest growth and heaviest flowering; part shade works but the plant stays looser. It is comfortable in subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and mediterranean gardens and is frost hardy once established. It is not the pick for the humid tropics, where wet air marks such fine foliage.

Soil. Free draining is the one requirement. Sandy and gravelly soils suit it, ideally slightly acidic. On heavy clay plant on a raised mound, because this native will not tolerate sitting wet.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as the roots go down. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring only, since rich feeding produces soft growth that flowers poorly.

Pruning. Trim lightly straight after flowering, taking no more than a third of the season's growth. Tip prune from the day you plant, because tea trees do not reliably reshoot from bare old wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tube stock, 140mm pots in packs of ten, and 200mm pots in packs of six. Tube plants are small and single stemmed, the value option for a long boundary. A pack of ten 140mm plants covers about 9m of hedge at 1m spacing, and the 200mm plants are the quickest of the three to read as a screen.

Fine leafed natives shed a few leaves in transit, which is normal rather than a fault. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect new growth within four to six weeks in the warmer months, and a solid hedge in two to three seasons. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete leptospermum care guide
• Browse screening plants that finish at 1m to 2m
• Plants proven in coastal gardens
• Compare the wider Australian native range

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. At that spacing the canopies knit together within two to three seasons and each plant still gets light and airflow at the base.

Can I cut it back hard if it gets woody?

Better not to. Leptospermums are unreliable at reshooting from bare wood, so light annual trimming from planting is what keeps one dense. A badly overgrown plant is better replaced.

Will it handle frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy and suits cool temperate gardens, though give a newly planted one shelter through its first winter while the root system is still shallow.