Leptospermum scoparium 'burgundy queen' 2

[GavinG]

That's a pain in the a.... I know scoparium can be finicky, I haven't grown it, but I have had some success with other leptos by putting them in a shallow water bath after repotting, if I'm afraid I've gone too hard. I agree with you, if they've gone they don't come back - Mels maybe, but not Leptos. It's a pity, it had quite a nice sweeping base to it. Ah well, just another disaster... I have a laevigatum that might not make it....

Gavin

[Mickeyjaytee]

Hey Rory,

Love all you progression threads on Leptospermum, definitely fast becoming my favourite species. Just wondering, how long would you leave a Leptospermum in a water bath after root work? This is certainly something I’m not sure of. Pretty sure I’ve lost a few plants leaving them in the water for too long and others not putting them in at all in the first place.

Thanks mate! You have guts tackling those scoparium!

[Rory]

I haven't tried growing this variety in a pot, but I don't have much luck with them in the ground. I have quite a few Leptos growing well in the ground, scoparium, juniperum, rotundifolium,brachiandrum, grandiflorum, all mostly trouble free, but burgundy queen I can't seem to grow for love or money. Won't stop me from giving it another go though, maybe I need to keep some in pots.

They are worth a shot if you can exhibit strong restraint and patience. Just do all work in small stages.
I would recommend material that is less than 1cm thick at the base, so its a bit more resilient and less chance that the root system is a disaster. Personally, I'd start with seedlings. They grow quickly in pots once they establish. But you're strike rate after the first initial repot will probably be about 50%. Don't remove much root at all on the first go.

That's a pain in the a.... I know scoparium can be finicky, I haven't grown it, but I have had some success with other leptos by putting them in a shallow water bath after repotting, if I'm afraid I've gone too hard. I agree with you, if they've gone they don't come back - Mels maybe, but not Leptos. It's a pity, it had quite a nice sweeping base to it. Ah well, just another disaster... I have a laevigatum that might not make it....

Gavin

I lost both attempts of leavigatum, but it was because I had done a heavy root removal and it was followed by a massive s*&t storm of cloud and torrential rain for about 3 months. It was back in the days when I had very little sun, so they had no chance. Also, myrtle rust attacked and got hold. I
Leptospermum lanigerum is the better material than leavigatum in my opinion. Lanigerum is incredibly hardy and the foliage is smaller and much prettier. Each to their own though.

L. scoparium is definitely a pain the butt. At the end of the day its the flowers that make this species so wanted. As far as bark and foliage goes, there are better species of lepto out there for sure. So unless someone is really keen on the flowers, I wouldn't attempt them, and stick with other Lepto varieties that are much more rewarding for their bark and foliage.

Hey Rory,

Love all you progression threads on Leptospermum, definitely fast becoming my favourite species. Just wondering, how long would you leave a Leptospermum in a water bath after root work? This is certainly something I’m not sure of. Pretty sure I’ve lost a few plants leaving them in the water for too long and others not putting them in at all in the first place.

Thanks mate! You have guts tackling those scoparium!

Thank you for the kind words.
What GavinG is referring to is presumably that he places the newly repotted tree and pot into a shallow saucer of water that allows the roots to sit in water and it saturates the mix indefinitely. I don't do this, but again, what works for some is the way to go.

[Sno]

[/quote]
What GavinG is referring to is presumably that he places the newly repotted tree and pot into a shallow saucer of water that allows the roots to sit in water and it saturates the mix indefinitely. I don't do this, but again, what works for some is the way to go.
[/quote]

When you use a water saucer after repotting don’t have the roots ‘sitting ‘ in water , rather the water level is low enough that the tree gets the extra water through a capillary action . I tend to leave them in a saucer for a couple of weeks at most . Generally the tree won’t need it after that (for better or worse ) .
I only bother if I’ve really thrashed the roots .

[ACooke]

I’m sure this has probably been covered at some stage elsewhere but has anyone tried Chamelaucium uncinatum Della or similar? Not native but i believe endemic to WA and visually very similar as far as i can tell, to Lepto Scoparium?

I haven’t actually seen scoparium in the ‘flesh’ but was enamored with a flower-laden Chamelaucium ‘Sarahs delight’ i saw recently.

[Kedron Brook]

Haven't tried but I did dive into online information. Wax Flowers come with a common weakness of WA species, that it doesn't adapt well to our climate on the East coast. That means the wet summer / dry winter here is not good. I am beginning to see it at some shops. I don't know whether this is happening because companies sell anything to profit or the generation of a new cultivar which lives well over here.

A related possible weakness is that most of the colourful Lepto's have more senstive roots. Probably any specially cultivated wax flower is frail.

My own Burgundy Queen is the sole survivor of a set of 10x I bought during an obsession phase. Quite pleased with it's leaves and flowers, although it isn't growing denser. Upon review I reckon it went into a training pot prematurely, and the skeleton needs consolidation.

If you have a go, buy 10x, then upload the ongoing trials. Patmet & R3 bring in high quality info this way. Rory also makes some big uploads, and gives a broad perspective on native species.

[ACooke]

Thanks for the info, Kedron,

My mum recently bought one as a garden plant (Sydney based) so will be interesting to see how it goes. As for me; i don’t have a stack of room so whilst i’ll give it some consideration - as those flowers are very alluring - i’ll probably steer clear for now and stick to the easier to manage species; at least until I have room to grow things in batches rather than singles or couples.

[Rory]

I have grown them before, but lost interest. There are oodles of species with beautiful small flowers that are much easier to keep alive.
I've just about done with L. scoparium, as I have found other genus with better flowering that I am moving into now. I have my favourite still growing very well, but I've lost interest in it and will probably sell it.
Below are the varieties I now keep mainly for their flowering display, but also their hardiness and overall look.

In my opinion, the best natives for their flowering display and hardiness to work with:

Thryptomene saxicola 'f c payne' ( i find this particular species incredibly hardy to work with. I don't recommend other Thyrptos as I've tried 3 or so others and they died after a repot, but this one is spectacular with its flowering.... like an entire covering of tiny bell flowers that hang off the branching. Probably one of the most spectacular pink flowering displays I've seen, and VERY hardy) The flowers droop like tiny bells everywhere.

Phebalium squamulosum var. lineare (this is incredibly striking when in flower, just divine, with emerald glossy thin leaves that look like a pine too. Beautiful tiny warm yellow flowers in clumps make this so beautiful to look at when in flower. The normal Phebalium squamulosum is quite boring, but 'ineare' is one of the most beautiful natives I've ever worked with.

Leionema 'Green Screen', is just stunning in flower. An incredibly prolific display of tiny white flowers in mass clumps that are just beautiful to see, and in Winter it gives your collection a stunning display unlike a lot of other Spring/Summer flowering natives.

Calothamnus quadrifidus grey form – is one of the most beautiful flowering species I've ever seen. The soft blue/gray foliage is to die for. It is a million times better than Mels or Callistemons. It should be recommended to all novices as an alternative to Mel/Callistemons, as its flowering display is usually one sided, and weeps down the branch to create a really spectacular aged flowering look with blood-red flowering. It makes the tree look old even as a young plant, because with Callistemon the flower is tubular and makes it look puffy and robust. (hope that made sense)

Baecka virgata 'clarence river', similar leaf to Phebalium lineare, but even thinner and shorter. This variety is so cute in flower and is very, very hardy. Only flowers white though, so not as visually stunning as the other species on this reply.

Baecka imbricata - Just an amazing native for its growth and contorted branching, but the flowering is so beautiful with tiny white flowers nestled within the leaves and creates an even more rugged look when in full flower.

The only problem is that most of those species would be hard to find for the average enthusiast, but I highly recommend trialling them, even if you have to order small seedlings online.

[Kedron Brook]

What about Murraya varieties? I am hopeful of turning a min-a-min murraya into something nice, like a heavy helmet of leaves. Very thin trunk though. I love that smell of orange jasmine.

[ACooke]

Ooooft; thanks Rory, that’s a cracker of a reply. Very helpful!
I’m going to have a browse and see if my local ‘Wildflower’ has any this weekend (although probably unlikely).

Thanks again.