The Callistemon salignus, known as the willow bottlebrush or red bottlebrush, is one of the most elegant and reliable of the bottlebrushes for a warm British garden. It earns its name from slender, willow-like evergreen leaves that emerge a glowing coppery-pink before settling to fresh green, topped in early summer by vivid crimson-red bottlebrush flower spikes that hum with bees. Sun loving and exotic, it brings an Australian accent to a sheltered border or a sunny patio pot.This is a plant for the warmest corner of the garden. Rated RHS H2 and holding the RHS Award of Garden Merit, it is tender in most of the UK, best given a frost-free winter in colder gardens or a warm, sheltered wall in the mildest coastal spots. Plant it in a warm, sheltered spot with sharp drainage, and protect the crown with fleece during hard frosts. Get that right and it rewards you with a long, generous flowering season and lemon-scented, evergreen foliage.How and where to grow Position: full sun in the warmest, most sheltered spot you have, ideally against a south or west facing wall. Soil: fertile, sharply drained neutral to acid soil; it dislikes very alkaline ground and prefers sharp drainage. Size: slowly reaching around 4 to 8 m in ideal conditions, though easily kept smaller in a pot or with light pruning. Hardiness: borderline hardy, so give sharp drainage and protect in hard, prolonged frosts. Water regularly through the first couple of summers to build a strong root system, then ease off as it establishes. It is a natural for a hot, free-draining border and thrives among other hardy exotics, where it makes a lovely partner in exotic border plantings. In milder coastal gardens it is a superb, wind-tolerant choice for coastal and exposed spots, and in colder areas it grows happily as a moveable specimen among plants for pots and containers that can be sheltered over winter.The red bottlebrush spikes are magnets for bees and other pollinators, making this a beautiful and useful addition to a wildlife-friendly garden. As with all our Hardy Exotics, do read our what to expect guide for seasonal care, and rest assured every plant we supply is nursery-grown, carefully selected for a healthy shape and strong roots, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition.
