Leptospermum scoparium Wiri Kerry - Tea-tree

Leptospermum scoparium Wiri Kerry is a recent variety of New Zealand tea tree, truly unique due to its double flowering of a very intense pink leaning towards red, carried on somewhat twisted reddish branches. Its flowering period is long and abundant from April to June, covering almost all of the branches filled with their fine bronze-tinted foliage. Its small size and dense spherical habit make this charming evergreen bush a beautiful piece for a romantic, cottage garden-inspired bed, even in poor and dry soil. Leptospermum are somewhat frost-sensitive and they prefer light, neutral to acidic soils. In open ground they are reserved for mild climates. But they accept pot cultivation very well, allowing gardeners in colder climates to also enjoy their generous flowering throughout the season.

Originally from the extreme southeast of Australia and New Zealand, Leptospermum scoparium, also known in English as tea tree, is a cousin of Mediterranean myrtles, clove trees and Eucalyptus. It belongs to the same family, the Myrtaceae, and shares with these plants a love of heat but also foliage rich in essential oil. It grows naturally in regions with a mild coastal climate but also in dry forests, most often on mineral-poor, leached, rather acidic soil, and forms a large bush 3 m (10 ft) high and wide.

The cultivar 'Wiri Kerry' belonging to the 'Nanum' group and distinguishes itself by its much more compact habit, purple-tinted stems and almost red flowers. This bush with its rounded habit, 90cm (35 in) in all directions, has fairly rapid growth. It has slightly aromatic leaves, alternate, single, pointed, quite small (max. 1 cm long), dark green in colour, with bronze and purple tinges. The flowers, double, slightly scented, honey producing and rich in nectar, appear from April-May to June, depending on the climate. They are composed of numerous petals surrounding a dark heart and do not exceed 1.5 cm (0.6 in) in diameter. They are followed by small capsules releasing fine elongated seeds. This bush can be lightly pruned after flowering, from May to July.  

The 'Wiri Kerry' tea tree tolerates temperatures down to -10°C (14 °F) but the aerial parts can be damaged from -6°C (21.2 °F). It needs a sheltered spot, in full but not too hot sun. It tolerates sea spray well, making it a very beautiful bush for seaside gardens. While it prefers neutral to acidic soils it also tolerates slightly alkaline ones according to some experts, provided they are light, loamy and well-drained.

Leptospermum Wiry Kerry can be planted in a bed or in a group, in combination with ericaceous plants such as bushy heathers, Grevillea, Camellias, azalea, rhododendron, Japanese maple. It can also be used in the creation of a low evergreen hedge (no more than 1 m (3 ft) tall) in the company of Tarente Myrtle, cistuses (Cistus purpureus, Cistus (x) argenteus), compact ceanothus, Myrsine africana, Callistemons and other white or red Leptospermum. In regions with cold winters it should be grown in a pot and kept frost-free throughout the winter.

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