PlantFiles: Bottlebrush Tree
Callistemon rigidus

I brought the plant from Greece in my luggage, about 1 foot tall. I planted in my yard in fall, in an area where gets a lot of sun during the day. I live in NYC, Queens area and am worried if I should cover the plant during the winter or leave it as is. I read from others that has no problem in cold winters of about 10F but for how long can last the cold winter, a couple of days or the entire winter. I will appreciate you responses.

This is a great looking shrub, it has bloomed twice this year. This spring it was covered with red bottlebrushes. Mine has been in the ground for 1 year and spent 1 year in a pot. It is already 6 feet tall and is quite drought tolerant, loves the south Texas heat.

I have one BB bush and one BB tree,the bush is doing great the tree is trying to die the trunk is in two sections. Both are in full sun and fairly dry soil. They attract Humming birds as well as Butterflies. They are very beautiful plants and normally easy to care for. I am thrilled with the bush.

Australian plants seem to do very well in Ventura County, California. We have these bottle brush trees and shrubs, as well as eucalyptus trees of many varieties. Our bottle brush just turned up growing -- probably seeds came floating down through our barranca and the plant just sprouted on its own. Very nice, like the red blooms.

I had 2 of these growing on either side of the front door at our old house. They had grown as tall as the 2nd story windows. One plant grew in front of the 2nd story window where there was an alcove that had our computer desk. I could look out and see many hummingbirds feeding. Our cats loved to sit and watch the birds while perched on the windowsill.

This has been a wonderful shrub.It has bloomed twice this yr and put on good growth.. I'll be keeping it inside for the winter..

I wasn't too crazy about its looks at first - soft, pale green, fuzzy leaves...but they are now darker, shiny & stiff. Starting to bloom now (1 flower in bloom...6 others about to). I have 3 other varieties of Callistemon of semi-unknown origins...they have overwintered well, and make great evergreen shrubs.

quite common to see in San Francisco...very beautiful

Bought as a small starter plant 6+ years ago, it has been in it's present postion for 5 years and has quickly grown to a quite large, weeping shrub. It is in a fairly shaded but sheltered location, and gets little sun but does very well. Soil is acidic and sandy. The last two years it has had many flowers, and attracts many bumblebees, with a white hairy body and black stripes, a type I have not seen before.

It has withstood prolonged frost and to -9C with no damage, this species has smaller narrow leaves and is hardier than the larger leaved types. zone 8a UK

My Callistemon is growing rapidly and is beautiful. To 5 meters (15 feet), it has light green foliage and bronze new growth. Red flowers in spring. Hardy, will adapt to most soils.
Good points: flowers, hardy, long-lived, good in damp soils
Downside: dislikes extreme heat and extreme cold.
Please note that this is an Australian native, and as such will probably not do at all well in areas that freeze.
This large bottlebrush is widely cultivated. Plants produce bright red flower spikes which are very rich in nectar and attract many birds. Plants grow in a variety of soils, but can be frost tender, especially when young. Weeping Bottlebrush grows 5 to 7 m tall.

A native to Australia this is a small, upright tree or large shrub. It grows easily in tropical and semi-tropical climates. Once established this plant is drought tolerant.
The leaves are narrow, lance shaped, and leathery. Bright red, plump, bottle-brush shaped flowers are composed mostly of stamens and bloom off and on throughout hot weather.
The Bottlebrush tree likes well drained soil, preferably sandy loam, but is quite adaptable. Avoid heavy, damp ground. If grown in the northern part of range, expect winter kills. Protect with mulch around roots and the plant usually comes back.