Callistemon tree types? Any experiences?

[SailorBold]

Does anyone have any experiences with Callistemon tree types? I would like to hear some of your experiences with them.

Also, where might one get one?

[Silas_Sancona]

SailorBold,

Good small / specimen-type tree but doesn't provide a lot of canopy. Takes drought / heat / some neglect well but looks better when given a little extra water. Red flowering are most commonly seen. Hummingbird / Butterfly magnet. Also great for attracting Bees. Pretty tough, but can't remember exactly how much cold they will take.

Hope this helps,

-Nathan

[redbeard917]

I got a red-flowering plant at a big box store. 3 gallon. Species might be citrinus. It has not been damaged by cold here, down to mid-teens F. I prune it heavily, keeping it as a shrub about 3-4 feet high, and it still blooms. If it tries to grow larger I will let it, but manage its shape. They are more common in central Florida but there are large ones up here so it must be pretty cold hardy. I give it no special care and consider it a tough plant.

[Palm crazy]

Jim,

Some of the hardiest types you can get mail order are from Ian at Desert Northwest, some of the ones he carries are hardy to 5F. Thats pretty hardy for a bottle brush. They love heat and sun and are very drought tolerant, perfect for your climate. Click on the name of the plant to get more info. You might look into some of his other hardier plant also.

http://www.desertnorthwest.com/catalog/

Edited February 1, 2015 by Palm crazy

[Pip]

In my climate tree type Callisteman's such as 'Harnessknes' or otherwiseknown as 'Gawler hybrid' grow slow and steady taking their time to become a small shade tree up to 6 or 7 meters tall 3 to 4 meters wide.

Callistemon species from really dry environments tend to have leaves that are very tough, thick, stiff that end with a sharp point so best to keep them planted well back from pathways.

Callistemon tend to have two main fushes of flowers per year spring/autumn with random flowers throughout the year.

[David in Berkeley]

I don't know where you are, or how cold you get, but the two most commonly planted tree sized Callistemons here in California are C. citrinus, and C. viminalis. Citrinus is slightly hardier to cold and gets quite tall and wide with a very dense habit. C. viminalis is more elegant with more weeping foliage and a narrower habit, but more tender to cold. Both can suffer some cold damage in the low 20's°F. They are both great for winter color and bloom here in the SF Bay Area. There's a new culter of C. viminalis called 'Slim Jim' which is interesting, stays more narrow for tight spots.

[SailorBold]

Thanks for all of your replies..

Jim,

Some of the hardiest types you can get mail order are from Ian at Desert Northwest, some of the ones he carries are hardy to 5F. Thats pretty hardy for a bottle brush. They love heat and sun and are very drought tolerant, perfect for your climate. Click on the name of the plant to get more info. You might look into some of his other hardier plant also.

http://www.desertnorthwest.com/catalog/

I will look into these..thanks! I read some info out of AZ stating that '15F will cause minor tip burn' on some of the larger tree types and some info out of El Paso stating in colder winters C. Citrinus will have some dieback. The hummingbird attraction is an added bonus but I will need to look into it further. On the other hand I was also thinking of a 'Dynamite' crape myrtle for their longer bloom period..callistemon would have won because they bloom twice a year.

I don't know where you are, or how cold you get, but the two most commonly planted tree sized Callistemons here in California are C. citrinus, and C. viminalis. Citrinus is slightly hardier to cold and gets quite tall and wide with a very dense habit. C. viminalis is more elegant with more weeping foliage and a narrower habit, but more tender to cold. Both can suffer some cold damage in the low 20's°F. They are both great for winter color and bloom here in the SF Bay Area. There's a new culter of C. viminalis called 'Slim Jim' which is interesting, stays more narrow for tight spots.

The hypothetical tree would have replaced a leaf crisped Satsuma. The wood on the Satsuma is fine but I decided I will put it in a pot and make it a houseplant.. I don't know about regrowth and fruit production.. but I also don't want to be raking up leaves every year- even if it regrows and produces. Its completely stem hardy but not leaf hardy on a south wall of my house.

We get much colder than 20F (-7C) where I live.. but if that's too much for It I might look into something else. Maybe a trio of mule palms..

Callistemon are spectacular.

[David in Berkeley]

Sounds like Callistemon of tree sized habit wouldn't survive in your climate, perhaps one of the hardier shrub types being sold in the southeastern USA by Plant Delights Nursery, check out their web site for cultivar names, but none are tree sized in a zone 8 or colder climate.

[fastfeat]

Callistemon salignus is perhaps the best of tree-type bottlebrushes, but is rare in the trade. Compact crown with bright reddish clusters of new growth. Doubtful it would take NM conditions tho.