Ruby Glow New Zealand Tea Tree

Ruby Glow New Zealand Tea Tree (Leptospermum scoparium ‘Ruby Glow’), also known as Manuka, is an eye-catching flowering evergreen shrub with year-round appeal. From spring through summer, its branches are covered in a profusion of dainty ruby-red, saucer-shaped double flowers with dark centers. The dense, needle-like dark green foliage turns a striking coppery-bronze in the fall, lasting through winter. In contrast, the foliage of its larger counterpart, Leptospermum ‘Helene Strybing’, stays consistently green throughout the year.

Reaching up to 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide, ‘Ruby Glow’ thrives in full sun and is both drought-tolerant and adaptable to various soil types. It’s well-suited for coastal and urban conditions. This versatile shrub can serve as a backdrop, a privacy screen, a formal or informal hedge, or even as a specimen plant in a large container. It responds well to pruning and shaping, but should be pruned only after flowering to preserve the current season’s blooms. Under optimal conditions, it can grow 1-2 feet per year.