Although many varieties of tea are tender and don't survive frosty conditions, we've found several varieties that do very well in our climate.  The young leaves at the tips of the branches are the part that's harvested for green tea, and crushed then oxidized to make black tea.  White tea is the most delicate of all, made from the smallest, tender leafy tips. 

In fact, tea plants in the Wilamette Valley grow into such hardy and productive shrubs that the Minto Island Tea Company has been building a very successful business growing tea in Salem since 1988.  Plant your tea shrubs soon!