I've got 2 tea tree plants. They are just under 1m high and at least 6
years old. They've both grown quite happily, with just an annual
trim.

However this year most of the top of both bushes has died off and
there were virtually no flowers in April. I've left it since then to
see what happens. I've got a fair few shoots, but only about 10% of
what I used to have.

The bushes had a couple of inches of snow lying on them back in the
early Winter.

I'm wondering if I should take a few inches off the top to get it to
regrow properly ... or if the bushes have had their time?

Michael

On Jul 7, 9:49*pm, Michael D wrote:
I've got 2 tea tree plants. They are just under 1m high and at least 6
years old. *They've both grown quite happily, with just an annual
trim.

However this year most of the top of both bushes has died off and
there were virtually no flowers in April. *I've left it since then to
see what happens. I've got a fair few shoots, but only about 10% of
what I used to have.

The bushes had a couple of inches of snow lying on them back in the
early Winter.

I'm wondering if I should take a few inches off the top to get it to
regrow properly ... or if the bushes have had their time?

Michael

I take it you are talking about Melaleuca.
It's not hardy in the UK, I had one for 9 years in a cold glasshouse,
but last winter killed it.
I must gather some of the seed capsuls and see if I can get any viable
seed to grow.
David Hill

I've had a look on google & it's a Leptospermum scoparium.

It's right at the front of the house, so we probably wouldn't want to
leave it for a couple of seasons (esp if it then has to go). Is there
much / any chance that taking the top 4 - 6 inches will inspire it to
regrow?

Regards,

Mihael

I would take out any obviously dead stuff, back to the point where the
bark shows green when scraped with a thumbnail. But I'd give the new
growth a bit longer yet so that you can see what you've got, although
taking out the growing tips, but no more, should encourage it to bush
out a bit.

--

Chris


Many thanks. I had a go at it on Saturday and there was a fit bit
more that was dead than I realised, so I had to take them back to
mostly just a few branches. However there's enough growth there to
make me think it's got a fair chance.

I think it'll be fairly obvious in a month or 2.

Michael

You are lucky yours are still alive, mine have all died in the recent winters. The red damask actually proved hardier than the white flowered one for me. Lovely things but I won't buy them again until it looks like we can rely on a run of a few mild winters again. Maybe having yours against the housewall saved them.

When they were alive, I found that, like leyland cypress and ceanothus and the like, they don't grow back if you cut them back further than the green stuff. So don't cut them back too far. L scoparium is naturally a rather vertical plant, having encountered many of them in clumps in NZ, so it's difficult to get them very bushy.