Large Leaf Tea Plant
Camellia sinensis
Plant Details
USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 7a-9b (6b ?) Find Your Zone
Plant Type: Evergreen Flowering Shrub
Species: Camellia sinensis
Height at Maturity: 6-15′ depending on pruning
Width at Maturity: 4-8′ depending on pruning
Spacing: 5′ for solid hedges; 12’+ for space between plants
Spacing: 5′ for solid hedges; 12’+ for space between plants
Flower Color: White with Bright Yellow stamens
Flower Size: 2″
Flowering Period: Fall into Winter
Flower Type: Single
Fragrant Flowers: Yes
Foliage Color: Glossy Dark Green
Fragrant Foliage: No
Berries: No
Berry Color: NA
Sun Needs: Full Sun, Morning Sun with Afternoon Shade or Filtered Sun, All Day Filtered Sun
Water Needs: Average, Lower when established
Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt
Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist
Soil pH: 5.0 – 6.5 (Acid)
Maintenance / Care: Low
Resistances: Deer, Drought (when established), Heat, Humidity
Intolerances: Direct Afternoon Sun, Constantly Soggy Soil
Attracts: Visual Attention
Description
The Green Big Leaf Tea Plant, also known as Tea Camellia or Assam Tea, is the most widely grown Camellia in the world for use in making caffeinated teas. The extremely large evergreen leaves are glossy dark green with saw-toothed edges and provide a tropical look in the garden. In fall, the plant explodes with delicate, fragrant, single flowers with a patch of yellow stamens surrounded by pure-white petals. This is a plant that is sure to make a statement in your gardens that any guests will immediately be drawn to.
They leaves are harvested as they begin emerging in early spring and processed in different ways to create white, green, oolong, and black teas. The smaller young leaves and leaf buds are used for making green tea, the older larger leaves for oolong and black tea, and the buds for white tea. On thing for sure, the tea you make from the leaves of your homegrown tea plants will be much fresher and tastier than what you buy at the store!
SEE: How To Make Green, Oolong and Black Tea From Tea Camellia Plants
Landscape & Garden Uses
Growing to approximately 10 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide, Large Leaf Tea Plant can be grown as a large shrub or lower branches can be removed to form a highly attractive small tree. As a shrub, it is ideal for use as a specimen, hedge or background plant, in groupings, and is especially nice as a corner plant or espalier (trained to grow flat against a wall) in home foundation plantings. As a small tree, it makes a fine focal point specimen in landscape borders or home foundation planting. Grows well in containers that can be situated on decks and patios. A fine addition to cottage gardens woodland borders. Also suitable for containers that can brought indoors for winter for those who live and garden above USDA Zone 7a. Find Your Zone
If you’re a tea lover and enjoy brewing your own, the Large Leaf Tea is sure to please.
SEE: How To Make Green, Oolong and Black Tea From Tea Camellia Plants
Suggested Spacing: 5 feet apart for solid hedge; 12 feet or more apart for space between plants
Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 7a, where the Large Leaf Tea Plant is not reliably winter hardy, you’ll be happy to know it can be grown in containers that can be brought indoors during winter and placed back outside when temperatures warm up in spring.
Growing Preferences
The Large Leaf Tea Plant adapts well to various soil types however prefers a moist but well-drained acidic soil that is rich in organic matter. Constantly soggy soil is a slow killer. In general, most camellia bushes grow and bloom better in partial shade with some shelter from the hot afternoon sun. That said, this species is known to tolerate more sun, even full sun.
Helpful Articles
Click on a link below to find helpful advice from our experts on how to plant and care for Camellias.
How To Make Green, Oolong and Black Tea From Tea Camellia Plants
Planting Camellias
Pruning Camellias
How To Fertilize & Water Camellias
How To Espalier Plants & Trees
*Espalier (pronounced: ih-spal-yay) …an ornamental shrub or tree that has been trained to grow flat against a wall, fence, or other vertical, flat surface.
Plant Long & Prosper!
Meet The Wilson Brothers & Staff
Questions? Contact Us
Arrived alive and in good condition.————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Greetings,
I have done a lot of online plant orders in recent years and I have to say that I was entirely impressed with your care and packaging of my recent order. Shipping live plants is always a gamble but I will be coming back to Wilson Bros for any future needs.
Thank you.——————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
I have done a lot of online plant orders in recent years and I have to say that I was entirely impressed with your care and packaging of my recent order. Shipping live plants is always a gamble but I will be coming back to Wilson Bros for any future needs.
Thank you.——————————————We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂























Reviews
There are no reviews yet.