Bottlebrush

Bottlebrushes (Callistemon spp.) are among the hardiest of Australian native plants. They are long lived, require minimal maintenance and are almost impossible to kill. The flowers attract native birds, especially honey eaters, and reward the gardener with extraordinary amounts of colour. The original bottlebrushes available to gardeners were all bold red but flower colours now range from red to pink, mauve, cream and green.

Plant details

Common name: Bottlebrush. The name derives from the plant's flowers, which look like brushes for cleaning bottles.

Botanic name: Callistemon spp. The name is derived from the Greek words kallos, meaning beauty and stemon, meaning stamen, describing the coloured stamens, the showy part of the flowers.

Best climate: Bottlebrush grow in all but the driest areas of Australia. They need a warm spot in cool and mountain districts.

Best three varieties:

C. 'Taree Pink' - watermelon-pink clusters of flowers on a medium sized shrub (3m (10') high by 1.5m (5') wide).
C. viminalis 'Wilderness White' - white bottlebrush with lots of flowers with a slightly pendulous habit. A rounded shrub to 2.5m (8'4") high by 2m (6'7") across.
C. 'Nodding Red' - deep red flowers that weigh down the branches of the open shrub to 2m (6'7"). The frost tolerant shrub has blue-green foliage. This bottlebrush can be difficult to find.

Other varieties:

C. pallidus 'Father Christmas' - unusual bicoloured flowers with stamens that are off-white grading to pink at the base. The shrub is erect to about 3m (10') tall with an open crown to 2.5m (8'4") wide. C. pallidus 'Mt Oberon' - A frost resistant rounded shrub 2m (6'7") high by 2m (6'7") wide with creamy yellow flowers.
C. 'Matilda's Dream' - dwarf pink flowering variety that grows to around 1.5-2m (5- 6'7") by about 1m (3') wide.
C. salignus cream form - willow-like habit on a small tree to 10m (33'4") tall with creamy white flowers.
C. formosus - deep pinkish red flowers on an erect shrub to 4m (13'4") high by 2m (6'7") across.
C. 'Purple Cloud' - rounded shrub to 2m (6'7") high by 2m (6'7") wide with purple flowers.
C. pachyphyllus green form - low to medium shrub often no higher than 1m (3') but can reach 2.5m (8'4") tall. Dull green leaves with green bird attracting flowers.
C. 'Wildfire' - rounded shrub to 2m (6'7") high by 2m (6'7") wide with slightly pendulous branches. Showy red clusters of brushy flowers.
C. pityoides- named for its pine-like leaves it is a compact shrub which is variable in size from 1-3m (3-10') tall by 1-2.5m (3-8'4") wide. Sometimes called the Alpine bottlebrush the flowers are creamy yellow and is quite frost resistant.
C. 'Howie's Fire Glow' - An upright shrub to 3-4m (10-13'4") high by 1.5-2m (5-6'7") across that will tolerate moist or dry positions. Prolific bright red flowers with golden anthers.
C. 'Rocky Rambler' - red flowering low growing variety 30-60cm (12') tall, spreading to 1m (3') wide.

Best look:

A bottlebrush is a good addition to almost any Australian garden. They also look great as a hedge, screen plant or street tree.

Good points:

sensational spring colour extremely hardy and long lived (bottlebrush flower year after year and can live for 20 to 40 years if given the right climatic and growing conditions) low maintenance thrive in damp, poorly drained soils but will also take a dry spot (but do not plant in water logged soils) dwarf varieties are available bird attracting

Likes:

full sun moist soils

Hates:

extremely hot, dry conditions or very cold conditions (although some species and cultivars are more tolerant than others to extremes of climatic conditions)

Down side:

can become open and straggly

Care:

for fertile varieties, snip off flowerheads at the base of the flower spike once the flower display has finished. This will encourage reflowering and result in a compact and attractive shrub or small garden tree. when plants become straggly, prune heavily after which new growth will flourish.

Cost and availability

Bottlebrushes cost from $6.95 to $8.95 for a 15cm (6") pot in flower and between $10-$14 for a 20cm (8") pot in flower. They are available from your local native plant nursery or one of the following specialist native plant nurseries:

NSW:

Sydney Wildflower Nursery (south), 9 Veno Street, Heathcote, 2233. Phone: (02) 9548 2818.
Sydney Wildflower Nursery (west), 241 South Street, Marsden Park, 2765. Phone: (02) 9628 4448.
Wirreanda Native Nursery, 169 Wirreanda Road, Ingleside, 2101. Phone: (02) 9450 1400.

QLD: Fairhill Native Plants, Fairhill Road, Yandina, 4561. Phone: (07) 5446 7088.

SA: Nellie Nursery, 46 Randell Street, Mannum, 5238. Phone: (08) 8569 1762.

VIC: Kuranga Native Nursery, 393 Maroondah Highway, Ringwood, 3134. Phone: (03) 9879 4076.

WA: Zanthorrea Nursery, 155 Watsonia Road, Maida Vale, 6057. Phone: (08) 9454 4540.

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