Leptospermums - Spoilt for Choice

Love our native Tea Trees, Leptospermums?

Here a a few cultivars to fill your garden with.

Leptospermum obovacum 'Starry Night' 

Leptospermum obovacum 'Starry Night'

This glorious Leptospermum has shiny black-purple foliage... I know you are already sold but when it's dripping in white starry flowers you may actually think it really is a Starry Night!!!!

All the wildlife will love you too as the flowers are laden with pollen

This easy to grow, exceptionally hardy Australian native is happy in full sun to light shade. It can handle most soils and once established will handle a little dry and a light frost. It will get to around 2m High x 1.5m Wide. I would trim and shape from an early age if a tight screen was needed. Trim after flowering.

I would fertilise every three months with Organic Link fertiliser and plant into excellent quality garden soil.

Trevallan's have not started to flower yet as this Leptospermum flowers late spring summer. This picture is from Austraflora 's website. The breeders of this beautiful plant.

Leptospermum Purple Haze (Leptospermum scoparium). 

Leptospermum Purple Haze (Leptospermum scoparium).

This Leptospermum has pretty pinky/purple flowers in spring that cover the entire Bush. The mass of flowers attracts nectar feeding insects, birds and other wildlife.

I like this Leptospermum mainly though because it’s leaves are a little different to other Leptospermums, they are kind of small, fat and glossy.

This is a great small to medium shrub that can be used a feature plant in pots or gardens but would also be perfectly suited to form a small low hedge.

It grows naturally to around 1.5ms tall. This plant doesn’t need to be trimmed but like most Leptospermums looks better after a haircut. Leptospermums can handle a range of soil types and once established don’t mind the cold, heat or the dry. I like to give all my natives a good feed with Organic Link (a complete organic slow release fertiliser) about once every three months.

Leptospermum scoparium ‘Burgundy Queen’

While all Leptospermums are beautiful my favourite and the one I’d have in my garden is the Leptospermum scoparium ‘Burgundy Queen’.

I think at first it was the deep burgundy almost black foliage but It’s majestic upright growth habit also took my breath away.

Then I found out it flowered profusely with intense dark burgundy double flowers. I was blown away. Plus it has the most adorable black eyes inside the flowers.

Seriously how could you not fall in love.

I honestly think it looks best kept trimmed to around 1.5m but this plant can easily grow untouched to about 3m

I could imagine it in a pot surrounded by the soft delicate Sweet Alyssum or in a dry landscape garden as a hedge.

Leptospermums can handle a range of soil types and once established don’t mind the cold, heat or the dry. I like to give all my natives a good feed with Organic Link (a complete organic slow release fertiliser) about once every three months.

Like most Leptospermums ‘Burgundy Queen’ is great at attracting wildlife when it’s in flower and is also an amazing cut flower.

Seriously I think we all need these beauties in our life.

Leptospermums - Aussie Blossom Range

Naoka Leptospermum

I always get asked for Geraldton Wax. While we do sometimes stock this beautiful native I believe the Leptospermum cultivars, our native Tea Trees, do a lot better here in Ipswich.

I like to refer to our native tea trees as the Australian Cherry Blossom

The Leptospermums that reflect this name the best is the Aussie Blossom Range.

The Aussie Blossom Range is a beautiful range of Leptospermums that have masses of stunning flowers in a range of pink shades that cover the bush for about 8-10 weeks in winter and early spring.

The range has been bred for easy care, compact growth and brilliant flowers and there are a few within the range to choose from

• Alicia Rose pbr (rose coloured flowers)

• Emily Nao pbr (pink coloured flowers)

• Joy pbr (dusty pink flowers)

• Martin pbr (dusty white flowers)

• Naoka pbr (pink with ruby red centre)

• Stephen Rose pbr (white with pink centre)

You could mass plant any of these beauties to create an informal low hedge (grow to about 1.5m) or you could create a stunning masterpiece in your garden with just one.

While you don’t NEED to trim these guys I always find they grow and look better after a hair cut. I like to do it after they finish flowering.

Joy Leptospermum

While some people are under the impression natives don’t need fertiliser this is not true. All plants need fertiliser. I like to say it’s the difference between survive and thrive.

I like to give all my natives a good feed with Organic Link (a complete organic slow release fertiliser) about once every three months and a liquid fertilise with Triple Boost about once a fortnight.

This is a beautiful range of plants and I think at least one should be a part of any garden design. They even work wonderfully for cut flower displays.