Gardens

Pets

Lifestyle

Click here for bonus Burke's Backyard magazine fact sheets, competition terms and conditions, photo galleries, and weblinks for stories featured in our current issue.

ADVERTISEMENT.

Bottlebrush Callistemon 'Harkness'

In the Garden > Flowering Plants & Shrubs

In Don's view, Callistemon 'Harkness' is the best of the Australian bottlebrushes.

Plant details

Common name: Bottlebrush

Botanic name: Callistemon 'Harkness' (used to be known and sold as 'Gawler' or 'Gawler Hybrid')

Description: Weeping, hybrid bottlebrush growing to about 6m x 6m (20 x 20') under good conditions. Bright red flower spikes are produced abundantly in spring and early summer. The new growth is pink.

Best climate:

'Harkness' grows well in most areas of Australia, but needs a warm, sheltered position in very cold zones. It thrives in the alkaline soils of Adelaide, where it originated in 1937.

Best look:

street tree informal screen specimen tree native gardens good tree for small gardens

Good points:

beautiful red bottlebrush flowers attracts native nectar feeding birds sterile hybrid so does not produce woody seed capsules very hardy tolerates a wide range of soils and climates

Downside:

None.

Care:

This bottlebrush is very easy to grow. It does best in a full sun position, and tolerates both wet and dry soil conditions.

Getting started:

Callistemon 'Harkness' is readily available from nurseries and specialist native nurseries.

	Email to a friend		Print this page		Top of page

Disclaimer: Burke's Backyard and Backyard Blitz do not accept payment to promote products. All recommendations are genuine. Details on the fact sheets are accurate at the time of publishing, however prices and contact information are not updated and may change.