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Family: Myrtaceae
Native to: Australian high country in and around Namadgi National Park
Dimensions: to 6 - 8' tall and wide, a little larger if it's really happy
Cold resistance: hardy to 8 - 10°F
Drought resistance: adequate west of the Cascades, but not for desert
Key Features: aromatic slightly hairy foliage, white flowers in early summer, very cool stringy bark when older, deer resistant, tolerates any soil including poor drainage, easy care
Uses: tolerates coastal plantings/wind exposure, urban exposure, hedges/screens, can be sheared, takes sun or partial shade.
Description:
This tea tree is rather similar to L. grandiflorum but can be distinguished by the small hairs present on the leaves and stems. It also tends to have more of a spreading form, as opposed to the pyramidal shape of L. grandiflorum. In late spring or early summer it produces white flowers which are followed by knobby round seed capsules. The new growth often has an appealing bronze color, and mature plants can assume rugged and twisted shapes with cool furrowed bark. Alternatively this species is easily amenable to shaping or shearing into a hedge. Native to the area around Namadgi National Park, a mountainous area southwest of Canberra, it has respectable cold-hardiness and is easy to grow in sun or partial shade. It is widely adaptable and deer resistant, being useful for situations of coastal exposure, wind, and urban settings. Really, what else could you ask for?
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