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Callistemon
(Bottlebrush)
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photo by pizzodisevo
(Flickr) CC
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Callistemons
are native to Australia and are usually listed as hardy only in zones
9 and 10 in reference books, but growers in the south know that many
are hardy in zone 8 and a few in zone 7. Their aptly-named bottlebrush
flowers are typically bright crimson, but lesser-known species and
hybrids may have green, yellow, pink, lavender, purple, or cream flowers.
The plant stem grows through the center of the flower, and seed clusters
form around the stem when the flowers fade, with the branch continuing
to grow. The leaves are usually flat and needle-like on these evergreen
shrubs. Callistemons bloom on the previous year's wood
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| Callistemon
pallidus 'Eleanor' bears large purple brushes earlier in
the year than most, typically May and June here in the Pacific Northwest.
Cold hardy to at least 12F, but best against a south wall for plenty of
heat. Blue-green needles on a 6' x 4' shrub. A selection by Xera Plants
in Tualitin, Oregon. |
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Callistemon violaceus
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Callistemon
'Violaceus' , Purple Bottlebrush, is regarded as a species by
some, but "violaceus" is not an accepted species name, so
it is apparently a variety or hybrid. What it's a variety or hybrid
of is not known, at least by me. The important thing is that it's a
beautiful shrub with gold-tipped violet flowers, a color unusual for
a Callistemon. It grows 6-8' tall, but slowly, with a dense habit and
narrow, bluegreen leaves. Hardiness is in some dispute, zone 8b maybe,
9 and 10 for sure. (For a hardier purple-flowered bottlebrush, see C.
pallidus 'Eleanor' above.)
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Callistemon
viridiflorus is a Green-Flowered Bottlebrush. This 6'
shrub makes a nice change from the more common crimson with its lime-green
flowers. Flowers in a pot more readily than most species. Leaves are
short, blunt, and dark green, growth is vigorous, and soggy soil is
acceptable.
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'Woodlanders
Hardy' is a Callistemon variety bred at Woodlanders Nursery in
South Carolina. It has arching stems 6-10' long, with narrow evergreen
leaves, tipped with crimson brushes beloved by hummingbirds and butterflies.
Among the hardiest of our Callistemons, to zone 7
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Seed capsules
clustering around the stem of 'Woodlanders'
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