Tea
Camellia sinensis
Pick the top two leaves and a bud.
Hardiness: zones 7 to 9
Light: part shade
Size: about 6 ft tall, 5 ft wide
Harvest: April to September
From: S. China
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food, screens and hedges, traditional use.
Native to: East Asia, South & Southeast Asian tropics, Himalaya & Indian hill country. Hardy in zones 7 to 9.
The story
Tea was first drunk in the mountains of southwest China at least 2,000 years ago and became medicine, ritual and daily life across East Asia. The British planted it in Assam and Darjeeling in the 1830s, partly from seed smuggled out of China; the hill peoples of Assam had been brewing their own wild tea long before.
Planting
Part shade or morning sun, acid, drained, humus-rich soil, and a humid climate with mild winters; it grows well with blueberries. Plant a cutting-grown shrub in spring.
Growing
Keep the soil moist and mulched, feed like an azalea, and shear to waist height to encourage the flush of new tips. It flowers white in autumn.
Harvest and use
Pluck the top two leaves and a bud from each new flush, spring to autumn; wither, roll, oxidize for black tea or pan-fire quickly for green, then dry.
What to watch for
Scale, mites in dry heat, and root rot in heavy soil.
Safety
Medicinal uses here are shared as history, not advice. Kitchen amounts are fine for most people, but teas, tinctures and supplements can interact with medicines and aren't safe for everyone, especially in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for children, or with liver or kidney problems. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before taking any plant as medicine.
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More perennial vegetables, greens and herbs
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home