Bottlebrush
Callistemon citrinus
Wants sun and a spot out of the wind; on wet ground it goes backward rather than forward.
Spacing & sowing
- Plant spacing
- 6 ft 7 in
- In-row spacing
- 6 ft 7 in
- Between rows
- 8 ft 2 in
- Square-foot density
- Not suited to SFG
Growing
- Type
- Shrub · Perennial
- Botanical family
- Mixed / other
- Sunlight
- Full sun, in a sheltered spot.
- Watering
- Handles drought once it has settled in.
- Feeding
- A low-phosphorus feed in spring.
- Frost tolerant
- Yes
- Flowering
- May
- Pruning
- A light trim after flowering, and nothing more.
Through the year
- Mar–May Bud Break
- May–Sep Flowering
- Sep–Dec Growing
- Jan–Mar Growing
Companions
Lavender, Rosemary, Cistus
Pests & problems
- Scale insects Immobile brown or white bumps fixed to stems and leaf undersides, sucking sap and weakening growth. Wipe off with a damp cloth or dab with horticultural soap; watch for the sooty mold that follows.
- Root & crown rot Root rot where the soil sits waterlogged
- Frost damage Frost damage to the young growth
Garden allies
Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. companion plant
- Hoverfly SyrphidaeHunts Scale insects
Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.
- Ladybird (lady beetle) CoccinellidaeHunts Scale insects
The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.
The Cottage Garden Companion — the gardener's herbarium at cottagegardencompanion.com