Possible/feasible to grow a tea tree/plant?

[droidus]

I live in an apartment with 9 ft ceilings. I noticed that tea trees reach about 20 ft in height. Has anyone been able to grow these indoor with any luck? Is this at all possible?
Also, I see it takes 3 years to even be able to start plucking the leaves; is there a better way of getting them sooner, than starting with a seed?

 

[Marck]

Tea (Camellia sinensis) can be grown in mild temperate climes, though in Maryland you would need to consider Winter cold protection. Bringing the shrub indoors in Winter would protect it from cold, but indoorsit should be placed in bright light near a window. The size of a Tea shrub can be maintained by pinching and pruning. Tea shrubs grown in commercial plantations are not allowed to grow to 20 feet. Camellia sinensis, in the Tea Family (Theaceae) is native to southern China, Hainan, and southeastern Asia. Tea is an attractive evergreen shrub, though its flowers are not nearly as large or colorful as in some other species of Camellia. A single Tea shrub would only supply enough tea leaves for a few cups of tea at most.