Narrow Leaf Bottlebrush Trees

Narrow Leaf Bottlebrush Trees

With showers of distinctive fluffy red flowers that bees love and looking exactly as the name Bottlebrush implies, Callistemon (also known as Melaleuca) is a tender evergreen shrub from Australia with narrow aromatic foliage that does well in the warmest parts of the UK. With an RHS Award of Garden Merit under its belt, it's a fun plant that gives a fabulous taste of Down Under.

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Features

• Evergreen. Naturally a medium-large shrub
• Informal screening
• Red, cylindrical brush-like flowers.
• Prefers neutral to mildly acidic soil
• Max. Height: 3-4m
• Rated H2 Hardiness: frost tender
• RHS Award of Garden Merit

Growing Bottlebrush Trees

To get full-flowering glory from bottlebrushes, place them where they get full sun for up to eight hours a day in a sheltered spot; they'll tolerate shade but won't bloom as well. They can grow in most well-drained soils but prefer lots of organic matter added in to help maintain soil moisture. Ideal for milder coastal gardens or in a pot on the patio, protect them if a frost is threatened. They'll not survive in colder areas, but adapt to pots quite well, so moving them into shelter overwinter is an option.

Garden Design Ideas

History & Trivia

As with all plants originating from warmer climates, pair with other similar heat lovers and you'll be on to a winner. Packing a punch with its showers of red flowers, it'll work in borders with hebes, rosemary and salvias or as a focal point in a pot on a sunny terrace.