Callistemon
(kal-iss-TEEM-on)
Bottlebush
MYRTACEAE
This large evergreen shrub from Australia can reach six or eight feet in
height, but also has the possibility of growing to 30 feet.
The leaves are narrow and about four inches and will be bronze in color when young.
The flowers are the best feature of this plant material. With a very bright red scarlet showy spike, it resembles bristles of a bottle brush. The soft spikes are about two to four inches in length.
The season is from spring to fall in zones eight to ten.
A sunny condition is required for best performance. The plant needs a well drained site, it can be a little moist but more on the dry side.
The shrub can be fertilized with 14-14-14 time released, but once established in the landscape, a general fertilizer will work.
Propagation can be done by sowing the seeds in the spring or take semi-ripe cuttings in the late summer.
Bottlebushes can be used in beds as a specimen plant and certainly in a butterfly garden.
There are dwarf varieties that do well in containers.