Commonly known as a Tea Tree, this is a type of Leptospermum. They are all in bloom at present and look beautiful. The colours range from white to pink to red. We do have a couple that are a bright candy pink colour, but most are this pale pink shade. This is not the type of tea tree that they make the tea tree oil out of, that is a more tree like species and I dont think I have ever come across one in my gardening career. I do know how its common name came about. The meaning is quite literal, and the leaves are steeped in boiling water and consumed like tea. I have never tried this myself but will get round to it one day. The quirkyness in the tale is that brewing the leaves to make a tea was discovered on Captain Cook's voyage to Australia, and the man encouraged his crew to drink the tea tree beverage in a bid to ward off scurvy. Whether this worked or not, Im not entirely certain, but Im sure after months at sea it would have been a welcome change from grog and water rations.
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