Tea Plant

The official botanical name is Camellia sinensis. Common names include Tea Bush, Tea Shrub, Tea Tree, Chinese Tea Plant, Chinese Tea, Common Tea Plant, Green Tea and Black Tea.

This remarkable species originated in China, India, and neighbouring parts of Asia. For thousands of years, people have cultivated tea plants, beginning with medicinal and ceremonial traditions. Eventually, tea became one of the world’s most widely enjoyed drinks.

True green, black, white, and oolong teas all come from this species. After harvesting, people create differences through withering, rolling, heating, and oxidation, rather than by growing different plants. Specifically, to make green tea, you heat young leaves soon after picking to limit oxidation. In contrast, for black tea, you encourage extensive oxidation to develop a deeper colour and flavour.

Pick tender new shoots, usually the bud and first two leaves, for the finest homegrown tea. Then, you can prepare the leaves as green tea or process them to create white, oolong, or black-style tea. Therefore, a single shrub can produce many possible flavours depending on when and how you harvest and prepare the leaves.

These leaves naturally contain caffeine, so brewed tea provides a gently stimulating and satisfying drink. Additionally, beyond the teapot, you can clip established plants into an attractive edible hedge, screen, or compact specimen.

This evergreen shrub grows to approximately 3 metres high and 2 metres wide, although you can prune it to keep it dense and harvestable. Ideally, this plant prefers a warm-temperate climate, an open sunny to partly shaded position, and light, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Remember to provide regular moisture and protect young plants from hard frost and drought.

Grow plants from commercial stock. Furthermore, if you want a garden devoted to traditional stimulating drinks, plant Tea alongside Coffee or Yerba Mate, and discover three celebrated beverage plants from around the world.