Leptospermum lanigerum Mesmer Eyes - Woolly Tea-tree

Leptospermum lanigerum Mesmer Eyes is a variety of New Zealand tea tree rich in qualities: this beautiful bush is dressed in fine evergreen foliage of silver-green, decorative throughout the year. It has a bushy habit and is adorned with a multitude of small flowers blooming all along its branches from spring to summer. They shift from white to pink in two tones, creating a beautiful bicoloured effect. It's an excellent plant for borders in mild climate, less demanding and more hardy than most other Leptospermum. This bush will flourish very well in a large pot on the terrace, which allows it to be sheltered from heavy frost in cold climates.

Leptospermum Mesmer Eyes is a horticultural variety derived from the L. lanigerum var. lanigerum, a botanical species called woolly tea tree that is native to the coastal mountains of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania, and from which this bush gets its small silvery leaves. Leptospermum are cousins of Mediterranean myrtles, clove tree and Eucalyptus. They belong to the same family of Myrtaceae, and share with these plants a love of heat and a good tolerance to dry and poor soils. With a bushy and compact habit, 'Mesmer Eyes' will reach on average 1.20 m in height and 1 m (3 ft) in width at maturity. It has alternate, single, slender, small-sized leaves, white at budburst, later taking a green hue somewhat masked by silver bristles that give them this somewhat downy appearance. The whole leaf shows a green-grey colour with a silver sheen. The flowers, single, honey-rich and full of nectar, appear during 5 to 6 weeks from April to July depending on the climate. They are composed of 5 petals surrounding a very dark purple-pink heart and can reach 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) in diameter. The petals are white at first, then they gradually turn fresh pink. This bush can be pruned lightly after flowering from May to July. It can withstand temperatures down to around -10°C but the aerial parts can be damaged from -8°C. It needs a well-sheltered spot, in full but not scorching sun. 

The 'Mesmer Eyes' tea tree tolerates sea spray well and appreciates sandy soils, making it a very beautiful bush for seaside gardens. Install in a border or bed alongside other Australian or New Zealand bushes such as Callistemon, Grevillea,  Melaleuca, but also with South African species: Gomphostigma White Candy, Dierama, Aloe arborescens, Anisodontea capensis or Melianthus major should enjoy the same growing conditions. In regions with very cold winters it should be grown in a pot and kept frost-free throughout the winter.

Leptospermum means "thin seed" and gets its common English name of tea tree from Captain Cook and his crew, who used its leaves to prevent scurvy.