{"product_id":"camellia-sinensis","title":"Tea Plant - Camellia sinensis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTea Plant - Camellia sinensis\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery cup of black, green, white and oolong tea comes from this one species. \u003cem\u003eCamellia sinensis\u003c\/em\u003e is a modest evergreen shrub with matt, finely toothed leaves and small nodding white flowers with yellow stamens that open in autumn, which is the reverse of its ornamental cousins. Left alone it becomes a small tree, but it is almost always kept low and dense so the young shoots stay within reach, and that constant tipping also makes it one of the better small leaved hedging plants for a cool, humid garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Tea Plant\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHarvestable Leaf\u003c\/strong\u003e: The top two leaves and the unopened bud are picked through the warm months and processed into tea.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAutumn Flowering\u003c\/strong\u003e: Small white flowers appear from March through May, when the ornamental camellias have not yet started.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eResponds to Clipping\u003c\/strong\u003e: Regular tipping thickens the plant, so harvesting and hedging are the same operation.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCold Tolerance\u003c\/strong\u003e: Established plants handle frost well, which is why tea is grown in the highlands rather than the lowland tropics.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCompact Habit\u003c\/strong\u003e: Kept pruned it holds a low dense form suited to a productive garden bed.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEdible hedge\u003c\/strong\u003e: A clipped row along a path gives structure and a harvest from the same plants.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eKitchen and herb garden\u003c\/strong\u003e: It sits naturally with bay, lemon verbena and other leaf crops.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eUnder high canopy\u003c\/strong\u003e: It grows well in the filtered light beneath established trees in humid districts.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLarge containers\u003c\/strong\u003e: A generous pot suits a courtyard where soil pH cannot easily be lowered.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8m to 1.2m centres\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5m to 2m centres\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Autumn or early spring\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Acidic, humus rich and free draining, ideally pH 5 to 6, with reliable moisture and humidity. It will not tolerate lime, alkaline run off or waterlogged ground.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water deeply twice a week through the first two summers, as leaf quality suffers badly under drought stress. Mulch to 75mm with composted bark or leaf litter kept clear of the stems, feed with an azalea and camellia fertiliser in spring, and start tip pruning in the second year to build a dense picking surface.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5m to 3m as maintained; considerably taller if never pruned\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5m to 2m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Slow to moderate\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun in cool districts, part shade in hot ones\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Southern China and the eastern Himalaya\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e White with yellow stamens\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"150L","offer_id":59795301499166,"sku":"ND-0359-150L","price":2850.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/MUfM-2Y8avI1jM3ZyvfSu_gFi0AnMZ.jpg?v=1787313111","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/camellia-sinensis","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}