Leptospermum scoparium Martini - Tea-tree

Leptospermum scoparium 'Martini' is a variety of tea tree or Manuka tree. It has been around for some years, but is still valued for its vigour, floribundity, and undemanding nature. This wonderful Australian bush forms a large, evergreen, slightly frost-sensitive shrub that is not fussy regarding soil type and is resistant to drought. It blooms from spring to summer, with a beautiful and long-lasting flowering of small single flowers in shades of pink with a dark heart. The flowers change colour as they mature. The delicate flowers are surrounded by long silver leaves that turn green. Its cultivation in open ground is best suited for mild climates, but it also thrives when potted and stored indoors during winter, allowing gardeners to enjoy its generous flowering throughout the summer.

Originally from the extreme southeast of Australia and New Zealand, Leptospermum scoparium, also known as New Zealand Myrtle or Tea-tree, is a cousin of Mediterranean myrtles, cloves, and eucalyptus. It belongs to the same family, Myrtaceae, and shares with these plants its love for heat as well as its essential oil-rich foliage. It naturally grows in regions with a mild oceanic climate, but also in dry forests, usually on poor, leached, rather acidic soil, forming a tall and wide shrub of 3m (10ft).

The 'Martini' cultivar is vigorous and has a spreading bushy habit with single flowers that change colour from pale to dark pink. This shrub reaches an average height of 1.5m (5ft) with a spread of 1.8m (6ft). In fertile soil, it can grow over 2m (7ft) in height. It has slightly aromatic, alternate, simple, pointed, small leaves, 1.5cm (0.6 in) long. The leaves are silver when they bud, before turning grey-green. The slightly fragrant, honey-producing, nectar-rich flowers appear for 5 to 6 weeks from April to May in a warm climate, later in cooler regions. They consist of 5 intense pink petals surrounding a dark heart and can reach a diameter of 2 to 3cm (1in). They are followed by small capsules releasing elongated seeds. This shrub can be lightly pruned after flowering from May to July.

'Martini' can withstand temperatures as low as -8°C (17.6°F), but the above-ground parts can be damaged at -5°C (23°F). It needs a sheltered location, in full sun but not in excessively hot conditions. It tolerates salt spray well, making it a beautiful shrub for coastal gardens. While it prefers neutral to acidic soils, according to some specialists in Mediterranean plants, it can also tolerate clay-limestone soils if they are light, loamy, and well-drained.

Leptospermum scoparium 'Martini' can be planted in flower beds or mixed with other Australian or New Zealand shrubs such as Callistemon, Grevillea, Melaleuca, as well as with South African species: Gomphostigma virgatum 'White Candy', Dierama, Aloe arborescens, Anisodontea capensis, or Melianthus major should thrive under the same growing conditions. It can also be used to create a medium-sized evergreen hedge (no taller than 2m (7ft)) along with Myrtles, large cistus (Cistus laurifolius, Cistus x aguilari), Feijoa, and Olearia. In regions with very cold winters, the plant should be grown in a pot and kept frost-free throughout the winter.

NB: Leptospermum means thin seed and its common name, tea tree, comes from Captain Cook and his crew, who used its leaves to prevent scurvy.