Today’s line up features three varieties of one wildly popular genus, Callistemon! (Yes, I am excited about this plant).
The bottlebrush shrubs we grow in the WG have pretty much never had a bad day since they went in five years ago, and when they bloom late spring to early summer everyone wants one of their own.
Guessing there are a couple of reasons for that: super showy bottlebrush-like flowers; the way those flowers explode off the ends of the plant’s numerous, irregular limbs; and how the beguiling seed clusters left by the previous year’s blooms resemble intricate wooden beads.
And there’s more. The foliage is evergreen, the plants grow quickly, and with full sun (A MUST) bottlebrush are quite drought tolerant and confidence-boosting to grow.
First up, best name: Callistemon ‘Wetlands Challenged Mutant’. No, I can’t explain it. But I can say why I wanted this plant in the WG: its shape. Topping out at 7’ x 3’, this kind of tall and narrow accent mark is tough to find in something other than a conifer. And ‘WCM’ covered in flowers is like no conifer at all. The photo below says it all.
The mutant’s flowers are 4” long, lightly fragrant and soft yellow. Callistemon ‘Woodlander’s Hardy Red’ has flowers just as long but in a delicious shade of raspberry red. It’s a classic among bottlebrush, known for its toughness (skates through 10dF) and its ability to handle just about any soil. ‘Woodlander’s Hardy Red’ has a low and arching shape, topping out at 3’, but stand back! We’re talking 5’ of late spring bloom.
When decked out in her magenta purple blossoms, Callistemon ‘Eleanor’ turns heads every summer. Without fail. It’s definitely hard to miss this big beautiful shrub, which left unpruned will happily grow 6’x6’ and dwarf all competition for presence and drama. We love the wow factor when visitors come through, discouraged that she won’t grow in their climate. Ah, but that’s why I’m so high on this genus: it thrives in ours!
