New Jersey Tea

Ceanothus americanus

Other Common Names: Mountain Sweet, Wild Snowball, Mountain Snowbell, Red Root

Plant Details

USDA Cold Hardiness Zones: 4a-9b Find Your Zone

Plant Type: Deciduous Flowering Shrub

Species: Ceanothus americanus

Height at Maturity: 2-3′ depending on pruning

Width at Maturity: 3-5′ depending on pruning
Spacing: 3′ for solid hedges; 7’+ for space between plants

Flower Color: White, sometimes Soft Pink

Flower Size: Small rays in 2 to 5″ long clusters

Flowering Period: Late Spring and Summer

Flower Type: Rays in panicles 2 to 5″ long

Fragrant Flowers: Yes

Foliage Color: Glossy Grey-Green

Fragrant Foliage: No

Berries: Seeds

Berry Color: Maroon to Black

Sun Needs: Full Sun, Morning Sun with Afternoon Shade or Filtered Sun, All Day Filtered Sun

Water Needs: Average, Low when established

Soil Type: Clay (amended), Loam, Sand (amended), Silt

Soil Moisture / Drainage: Well Drained Moist to Dry when established

Soil pH: 4.5 – 7.0 (Very Acid to Neutral)

Maintenance / Care: Low

Resistances: Deer, Drought (when established), Heat, Humidity

Intolerances: Constantly Soggy Soil

Attracts: Visual Attention, Butterflies, Birds, Hummingbirds, Beneficial Insects

Description

A beautiful North American native plant, New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) is an easy-to-grow perennial shrub featuring abundant snowball-shape clusters of showy, fragrant and long-lasting white to soft pink flowers in late spring and summer that stand out beautifully against the low mound of glossy, grey-green foliage. All grown up this shrub might reach 3 feet high by 4 to 5 feet wide. New Jersey Tea develops a deep tap root which makes it a fine selection for use in xeriscape gardens or on dry slopes.

The name New Jersey Tea was coined during the American Revolution because its leaves were used as a substitute for imported tea. If you’re a tea lover and enjoy brewing your own, the New Jersey Tea is sure to please. The dried leaves make a rather tasty, caffeine-free tea.

Wildlife Value

Ceanothus americanus is a larval host plant for Mottled Duskywing, Spring Azure and Summer Azure butterflies. The Mottled Duskywing have flights from April to September. Flowers are highly attractive for their nectar to butterflies, moths and many types of beneficial insects and the seeds are eaten by songbirds.

Landscape & Garden Uses

Growing to approximately 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide, the New Jersey Tea can be grown as a shrub, hedge or groundcover. As a shrub, it is ideal for use as a specimen, in grouping, or as a low hedge or background. Grows well in containers that can be situated on decks and patios. A fine addition to butterfly gardens, pollinator gardens, native gardens, cottage gardens and sunny woodland borders.

Suggested Spacing: 4 feet apart for solid hedge; 6+ feet or more apart for space between plants

Note: For our customers who live and garden north of USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4a, 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 New Jersey Tea 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 they 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.

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