Leptospermum scoparium Jubilee - Tea-tree

Leptospermum scoparium 'Jubilee' (Jubilee) is a remarkably floriferous variety of tea tree. Accommodating, it has a naturally erect and compact habit that is easy to integrate into a flowering shrub bed. This evergreen bush literally covers its branches with countless small double flowers, of a magnificent purplish pink enhanced by a small dark centre. They bloom tightly against each other, surrounded by small bronze-tinted foliage in spring, becoming green, aromatic when crushed and attractive all year round. Cultivation in open ground should be reserved for mild and coastal climates, but  for colder regions it accepts pot cultivation very well, to be stored in a sheltered place over winter.

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, 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 'Jubilee' has an erect bushy habit and double flowers of a deep pink. This bush will reach an average height of 1m 25 (4 ft) and a spread of 90 cm (3 ft). It is provided with slightly aromatic, alternate, single, pointed, rather small leaves, 1.5cm (0.6 in) long, bronze in colour at budding, taking on a green shade washed with brown afterwards. The whole foliage shows a bronze colour. The flowers, slightly fragrant, honey-producing and nectar-bearing, appear for 5 to 6 weeks from April to June in a warmer climate, later on in colder ones. They are composed of many purplish pink petals surrounding a dark heart and can reach 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) in diameter. They are followed by small capsules releasing thin elongated seeds. This bush can be lightly pruned after flowering, from May to July.

The 'Jubilee' tea tree tolerates temperatures down to -8°C (17.6 °F) but the aerial parts can be damaged from -5°C (23 °F). It needs a sheltered spot, in full but not scorching 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  clay-limestone soils according to some experts, provided they are light, loamy and properly drained. 

Leptospermum Jubilee can be planted in flowerbeds or borders in combination with other Australian or New Zealand shrubs 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. It can also be used in the creation of a medium-sized evergreen hedge (not more than 2m (6.5 ft) tall), in the company of Myrtles, large cistus (Cistus laurifolius, Citus (x) aguilari), Feijoa, or 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 gets its common English name of tea tree (tea tree) from Captain Cook and his crew, who used its leaves to prevent scurvy.