ID needed Please

[peterb]

Hi everyone
I have this aussie native that I purchased as tube stock 2+yrs ago, I have subsequently lost the tag and haven't a clue what it is or how to work with it. please could somebody Id it and then possibly how one works with it. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated , thanks
cheers
Peterb

[Joel]

Leptospermum petersonii, lemon scented tea tree.

[Max]

agree

[shibui]

It certainly looks like L. petersonii. Just check that it does have a citrus smell when the leaves are crushed. I have another Lepto grown from seed collected North Coast NSW that looks very similar but no lemon scent so there must be other species that look like this.

[peterb]

Thanks folks, I'll crunch some leaves tomorrow and let you know . Appreciate the help. How difficult are they to work with?
Cheers Peterb

[shibui]

L. petersonii is a partly frost tender. The other one I'm growing got frosted the first year here but seem to have been a little hardier as they get older.
Great for bonsai. They shoot reliably on older wood, become quite dense with regular pruning/pinching and, other than not liking cold, seem pretty tough. Standard mix. Mine have responded well to summer root pruning like most other natives. Wires well and does not seem to have any problem with branches below horizontal. Trunks get 'ropy' and have nice bark as they age.

[Boics]

Yep. Great native specimen for Bonsai.

[peterb]

Thanks Shibui / Boics
I'm looking forward to working with this one do they flower like some of the other leptospermums
Cheers
Peterb

[Lane]

Yep, they throw out lots of little white flowers.

[shibui]

Do they still flower when pinched regularly? Mine have shown no sign of flowering even if I allow them to grow a bit. Maybe too young yet.
I maintain a couple of L. petersonii hedges. I have not seen flowers on them because new growth is constantly cut.

[Lane]

True, I'm still growing mine out in parts to thicken sections up a bit.