Bottlebrush
Callistemon species (MYRTACEAE)
Planting and Growing Bottlebrush
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow bottlebrush in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- Flowers, foliage, fruit, seeds or nuts of bottlebrush
- Growing conditions for bottlebrush
- When to plant bottlebrush
- How to plant bottlebrush
- How to prune bottlebrush
- Watering, fertilizing, and care of bottlebrush
- Landscape uses of bottlebrush
- Pest and disease control for bottlebrush
Growing Bottlebrush
About 20 species of fast-growing, arching, erect, or spreading, dense or open, broad-leaved, evergreen shrubs or small trees, 20–30 ft. (6–9 m) tall and to 15 ft. (4.5 m) wide, with shiny, bronze becoming bright green, lance-shaped, folded leaves, 2–6 in. (50–150 mm) long.
Commonly cultivated species include crimson bottlebrush, Callistemon citrinus; white bottlebrush, Callistemon salignus; and weeping bottlebrush, Callistemon viminalis.
Bottlebrush Planting and Care Guide
Flowers and Fruit
Showy brushlike, cream, pink, red, white, upright or nodding, columnar, hairy flowers, 2–6 in. (50–150 mm) long, in spring–summer, form woody, brown, nutlike fruit, to 3/4 in. (19 mm) wide, filled with seed, in autumn.
Best Climates
U.S.D.A. Plant Hardiness Zones 7–11. Tender. Best in mild-winter, hot-summer climates.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist to dry, well-drained, sandy soil. Fertility: Average–low. 7.0–8.0 pH.
Where and How to Plant
Full sun. Space 5–7 ft. (1.5–2.2 m) apart.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep moist; allow soil to dry between waterings. Drought tolerant. Avoid fertilizing. Prune to espalier or promote treelike growth. Stake to support. Propagate by cuttings, seed.
About This Species
Good choice for accents, containers, hedges, screens in arid, seaside gardens. Attracts bees, hummingbirds. Drops flowers, pollen, requiring maintenance. Pest and disease resistant. Chlorosis susceptible.