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The Bottlebrush gives drama and beauty in the gardenDistinctive, spectacular when in flower and easy to grow, bottlebrushes are underused in many gardens. A superb sight in early summer when its columnar flowerheads appear, dark green when out of flower. For exuberant, colourful flowers that are the epitome of Australian flora, Callistemon make an excellent choice. This genus of evergreen shrubs suffers from a perception among gardeners that they are tender, but this is not always the case. Several species and cultivars are reliably hardy in most areas, growing well even in many parts of Scotland, and with gardeners continuing to push the boundaries of hardiness, other more-tender bottlebrushes can be tried in some areas. Joseph Banks who introduced the first bottlebrush to the UK in 1789 from the east coast of Australia, namely Callistemon citrinus (crimson bottlebrush), one of the most widely grown species today. In the wild, bottlebrushes are mostly found in the east and southeast of Australia growing in moist conditions, along creeks, by the edges of swamps or in open forests with high rainfall. A callistemon ‘flower’ is an inflorescence formed of clusters of tiny flowers arranged along and around the branches, forming the familiar bottlebrush shape. The blooms are remarkable for their long, showy stamens, from which the genus name is derived (Greek kallos - beauty, and stemon - stamen). Each stamen is tipped with a dot of bright yellow pollen, giving them their ‘fibre-optic’ appearance. As a bonus, young foliage of many bottlebrushes is ornamental, often coloured and covered in fine, soft hairs. Hardy cultivars
It is the question of hardiness that probably discourages most gardeners from growing these shrubs. The reference books say that C. viridiflorus and C. citrinus and its hybrids will tolerate temperatures down to -5°C (23°F), while C. subulatus and C. pallidus will cope down to -10°C (14°F). With factors such as garden microclimates generally becoming better understood, Callistemon are being grown successfully in many gardens. Plant Callistemon in a sunny sheltered position and prune after flowering by snipping the dead flowers off just behind the heads. Feed with a little slow release fertiliser after the flowers have gone over. With their drama and beauty, callistemons have much to offer gardeners.
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