November 2010 Plant of the Month —
Tea Bush

A cup of tea aside, many folks don’t realize that the tea bush, Camellia sinensis, is a beautiful ornamental shrub that does well in our Tennessee landscapes. Download this image.

Submitted by Dr. Susan Hamilton, Director of the UT Gardens

Camellia sinensis, or tea bush as it is commonly known, is the source of true Southerner’s favorite beverage, tea.  Also known as the tea camellia, the finest teas are made from the top two leaves and bud of each of the plant’s shoot. As a result, you’ll find Camellia sinensis grown commercially throughout Asia, from where it is native.

A cup of tea aside, many folks don’t realize that the tea bush is a beautiful ornamental shrub that does well in our Tennessee landscapes. It is a relative of the ornamental camellias we love to have in our landscapes for their large and showy blooms. This evergreen plant makes a dense, round shrub that grows to between 4 feet and 6 feet tall and just as wide. It produces leathery, dark green leaves that are a bit more narrow than its ornamental relatives. Best of all, it covers itself with fragrant white flowers each fall that are about 1.5 inches in diameter.

Flowering typically starts in September and can continue into early December. Tea bush is cold hardy to zone 6 making it one of the most cold-hardy species of Camellia. You could say that tea camellia is a very forgiving plant in that it is not particular about soil or light exposure, thriving well in shade and even tolerating full sun. Noted plant expert and author Dr. Michael Dirr feels it is a valuable plant for the southeastern region because it shows good heat and drought tolerance.

For landscape use, this evergreen makes a nice background plant especially in shady recesses where its bright white flowers will shine. It also is effective when used in mass and it makes a nice foundation plant, too. Tea bush tolerates pruning and can always be cut back if a shorter plant is desired.

Several varieties are commercially available including pink-flowering selections and selections with variegated foliage. ‘Rosea’ is one with pink flowers. ‘Shirotae’ is a selection with pewter-colored leaves with white margins, and ‘Silver Dust’ has new growth that emerges almost white. As the leaves mature, they turn green with some silver flecking. ‘Gold Splash’ has large green and yellow variegated leaves.

While the tea bush thrives in hot humid climates, the best tea is grown in mountain regions where the leaves grow slowly to create more flavorful and noteworthy blends. Many of the world's most famous teas come from bushes cultivated above 4,000 feet.

For more information, check out the American Camellia Society.

Dr. Susan Hamilton is a faculty member in the University of Tennessee Department of Plant Sciences and director of the UT Gardens.  The University of Tennessee Gardens located in Knoxville and Jackson are part of the UT Institute of Agriculture. Their mission is to foster appreciation, education and stewardship of plants through garden displays, collections, educational programs and research trials. The gardens are open during all seasons and free to the public. See http://utgardens.tennessee.edu/ and http://westtennessee.tennessee.edu/ornamentals/ for more information.

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Contacts:

Dr. Susan Hamilton, Director of the UT Gardens, 865-974-7324

Patricia McDaniels, UTIA Marketing and Communications Services, 615-835-4570, pmcdaniels@tennessee.edu