Labrador tea

Labrador tea: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact, evergreen shrub about 1 m tall and wide, with upright stems. Lower, dwarf forms exist.

Foliage

Narrow, oblong and leathery, 2–5 cm long, with rolled edges. Dark green and wrinkled above, covered below with felt that turns rusty brown with age.

Flower

Small white flowers in rounded clusters at the shoot tips, in May–June.

Scent

The leaves smell strongly spicy and resinous when rubbed.

Fruit

Narrow capsules that split open in autumn and release very fine seed.

Flowering: May–June · Plants: March–April and September–October

Why grow it?

• An evergreen shrub that gives a heather garden or peat bed structure, even in winter.
• White flower clusters in May–June, in a spot where few other shrubs do well: wet, acid soil.
• Extremely hardy, to about −40 °C.
• Aromatic leaves with rusty-brown felt underneath: an attractive detail even outside flowering time.
• The flowers are visited by bees and bumblebees.

Labrador tea: where does it grow best?

• Sun to half shade; in full sun, the soil stays moister under a thick layer of mulch.
• Acid, peaty or humus-rich sandy soil (pH about 4–5.5). No lime. Preferably use peat-free ericaceous compost or leaf mould as an alternative to peat.
• Evenly moist to wet: it likes boggy soil, but not standing, oxygen-poor water.
• Allow 80–100 cm of space per plant. Ideal at the edge of a pond or in a peat bed.

Light

Sun and partial shade

Soil type

Sand or peat

Acidity

Acid

Moisture

Normal or wet

Size

1 m tall, 1 m wide

Hardiness

Hardy (to -40 °C)

Goes well with

• Cross-leaved heath: A native heather for the same wet, acid soil.
• Cranberry: Low, creeping shrubs with small red fruits, on the same peaty soil.
• Bog myrtle: An aromatic bog shrub for a wet, acid spot.
• Cottongrass: Fluffy seedheads in summer and a natural bog feel.

Labrador tea: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April and September–October.

1. Plant in March–April or September–October.
2. Dig a wide but shallow hole and mix the soil with peat-free ericaceous compost or leaf mould. On sandy soil you can make a bog bed with perforated liner underneath to hold water.
3. Soak the root ball in a bucket of water until no more air bubbles rise, then gently tease out the roots.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as in its pot and firm the soil. Water straight away with rainwater.
5. Spread a 5 cm layer of needle mulch or pine bark around the base.

Care

Water

The soil must never dry out. In dry weather water generously with rainwater; tap water often contains lime and does not acidify the soil.

Feeding

Little or none. In nature it grows on poor, acid soil. A light dose of ericaceous fertiliser in April is enough.

Mulching

Renew the needle mulch or pine bark every spring to keep the soil moist and acid.

Weeds

Pull grass and weeds out by hand: the roots are shallow, so no digging or hoeing.

Spent flowers

Not essential. You can snap off spent clusters for a tidier shrub.

Tip: Always keep the soil moist with rainwater and a thick layer of needle mulch: a single dry summer can seriously harm the shrub.

Labrador tea: when to prune it?

When: It needs hardly any pruning. Cut off dead twigs in March.

How:

• Remove dead or frosted twigs back to healthy wood.
• Snap off spent clusters in June–July if you wish, without damaging the young shoots below.
• Do not clip it into shape: keep the natural, compact habit.

Caution: It grows slowly, so prune as little as possible.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings

In July–September: take 5–8 cm cuttings of this year’s shoots, remove the lower leaves and insert in a mix of acid seed compost and sand under plastic. They root slowly.

Seed

Scatter the dust-fine seed in January–March on moist acid seed compost without covering it, and keep it light and cool. Seedlings grow slowly.

Labrador tea: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −40 °C.

• Extremely hardy, to about −40 °C: no protection is needed in Flanders.
• In severe frost the leaves may curl or droop; this is a normal reaction and they recover in spring.
• In a pot: stand the pot against a wall and wrap it in hessian so the roots do not freeze. Do not let the compost dry out.

Diseases and pests

• Drought damage: Brown leaf edges and drooping, curling leaves in summer. Water generously with rainwater and apply a thick mulch.
• Chlorosis: Yellow leaves with green veins on soil that is too chalky. Acidify the soil with needle mulch and leaf mould and water with rainwater.
• Vine weevil: Half-moon notches in the leaf edges in summer; the grubs eat the roots. Apply nematodes in August–September to warm, moist soil.
• Grass and weeds: Grass and purple moor-grass crowd out young plants. Pull them out by hand and keep the mulch thick.

Through the year

• March: Plant. Cut off dead twigs. Top up the mulch.
• April: Plant. Feed lightly with an ericaceous fertiliser.
• May: Flowering begins. Water in dry weather.
• June: Flowering. Water with rainwater.
• July: Snap off spent clusters if wished. Keep the soil moist.
• August: Water. Apply nematodes against vine weevil grubs.
• September: Plant. Take cuttings.
• October: Plant. Top up the mulch.
• December: Rest. In severe frost, leave the curled leaves alone.

Edible and useful

Not edible. Labrador tea and marsh Labrador tea are poisonous in all their parts: the fragrant leaves contain substances such as ledol, which act on the nervous system and can cause vomiting and dizziness. The names are misleading. In North America the leaves were brewed as a tea, but do not make tea from them yourself; and their narrow leaves with rolled edges recall rosemary, but rosemary leaves are whitish underneath, these have a rusty-brown felt. Also dangerous to sheep, goats and horses: do not give the clippings to animals. If any is swallowed, call a poison centre (in Belgium 070 245 245) or your doctor at once.

Good for wildlife

Bees

Nectar and pollen for honeybees and wild bees.

Did you know?

• The felt under the leaf is white at first and turns rusty brown with age.
• The species name groenlandicum means ‘from Greenland’. The plant used to be placed in the genus Ledum; DNA studies moved it into Rhododendron.
• The name Labrador tea refers to the use of the leaves as a tea by indigenous peoples in North America. In the garden that is not a good idea, because the plant is toxic.