Why Callistemons – Bottlebrushes Are So Awesome at Natives R Us Plant Nursery, Servicing Gympie & Sunshine Coast!

Why Callistemons – Bottlebrushes Are So Awesome at Natives R Us Plant Nursery, Servicing Gympie & Sunshine Coast!

Callistemons, or more commonly known as, Bottlebrushes, because their distinctive flowers’ strong resemblance to a bottle brush, are icons of the typical Australian native garden. And with good reason too, as they are a super hardy, easy to grow, low maintenance, long lived and very importantly, vibrant and colourful. Now I’m just getting started, there are so many more reasons to add a (or several) Callistemons to your gardens.

Callistemons – Bottlebrushes are so awesome because they are one of the hardiest varieties of native plants that you can possibly choose to plant at your place. Callistemons naturally grow in damp or wet areas, like the sides of creeks or flood prone areas, you’ve probably seen them along the Mary River or down at Traveston Crossing. Callistemons will thrive in damp conditions, but the best bit is that they also tolerate drought and dry periods. Which makes them great to plant here in the Valley. They are not too fussy with soils either, as they will handle pretty much anything from moist clay to sand and can be an excellent option where the soil is too heavy for other natives like Grevilleas and Banksias.

If it is Spring colour that you want, then Callistemons are unsurpassed in their ability to add a myriad of spectacular colours to any garden. Most often known for their red flowers but they now come in a huge range of colours including whites, pinks, yellows, greens, mauves and purples. Depending on the variety and location, you can quite often have the opportunity to enjoy all these colours from mid-Winter right through to mid-Summer.

Bees, bees, bees! If you want more bees in your gardens, then planting a few Callistemons is the easiest way to attract them. If you have ever stood close to a fully flower-loaded Callistemon, then you would have heard the whole shrub buzzing. Honey bees in particular, love to forage amongst the fine bristles of the flowers and can be seen doing so from dawn to dusk.  Add a few Callistemons to your veggie patch or fruit orchard for better pollination. And if you have hives then you definitely need Callistemons nearby.

So, if you are looking for a small, colourful shrub to fill a small spot in your garden or an attractive screening hedge or even a feature tree, you can’t go past the beautiful Callistemon… which is why Callistemons – Bottlebrushes are so awesome.

Happy gardening!