Columns
GV?Gardeners: Bottlebrushes in the desert garden
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| PHOTOS BY MARY KIDNOCKER Brush-like flowers of red stamens each tipped with a dot of bright yellow pollen, giving a glowing fiber-optic appearance. |
By Mary Kidnocker
Many of us recall when products such as milk, ketchup, juice, and baby formula came from glass bottles. To reuse these bottles, soaking and scrubbing with a bottlebrush were routine. Without today’s disposable plastic bottles, the bottlebrush was a valued kitchen tool.
Now, a favorite bottlebrush is an evergreen shrub or small tree with colorful, eye-catching, brush-shaped flower clusters. Presently, they are profusely blooming throughout our valley. This Australian native is given little attention in reference books on gardening in the south-west, dryland or low-water plants, desert shrubs, etc.
Lemon bottlebrushes (Callistemon citrinus) are commonly shrubby, arching plants. This variable family can be found as ground covers, dwarf shrubs, large bushes, and weeping trees. Found along creeks and swamps, or in areas of heavier rainfall “down under,” they require moderate and regular water.
Upon maturing, bottlebrush becomes reasonably drought-tolerant.
They will then do well on bimonthly irrigation, but growth will be slowed. This need for water to look their best is probably why the bottlebrush is not included in many desert garden references. These shrubs also are cold hardy only to 23 degrees. They will, however, recover rapidly in spring.
Because local soils are high in calcium carbonate, chlorosis can be a big problem with bottlebrush. This low-iron condition can be seen on new foliage when leaves fade to near-yellow, yet the veins within remain green. This is quite common now, and should be treated with an application of chelated iron. Because of our soil components, only the chelated form of iron can be taken up and used by plants. Follow directions on the label.
Tiny flowers form in clusters around and along branches, producing the bottlebrush shape. The flowers are actually hundreds of stamens massed together. The real show is the glowing red brush-like flowers, each tipped with a single dot of bright yellow pollen. This gives a glowing, fiber-optic appearance!
The 6-inch long flower clusters are set into the narrow bright green leaves. Most flowers are red, but also there are shades of pink, white, and mauve. Main bloom is in spring, but with the right conditions flowering can continue through summer and autumn. Nectar feeding birds, including hummingbirds, are attracted to these colorful blooms.
The lemon bottlebrush is the most common, and tolerates desert heat, cold, and alkaline soils best. Its nature is to become a massive, 10-foot to 15-foot shrub, but it can be trained into a narrow, round-canopy tree. When the leaves are crushed, a soft lemon scent emanates. New leaves are copper colored, and develop into vivid green.
A compact variety is “Little John.” This dwarf evergreen grows to only 3 feet high and can spread to 5 feet wide. Its blood-red flowers occur in spring, fall, and winter. With its round growth habit, this plant makes an attractive ground cover with a long bloom period.
White bottlebrush (C. salignus) can grow to 20 feet high by 10 feet wide, and has pale yellow to cream-colored flowers. More common is the weeping bottlebrush (C.viminalis) with pendulous branches and bright red flower clusters.
Bottlebrushes are widely available in nurseries and garden centers. Plant in early autumn or spring, in reflected sun to part shade, and well-drained soil. Plan to water regularly until established.
One last comment on the bottlebrush. If you haven’t noticed before, step closely and poke around until you see the small brown protrusions lining the branches. They may look like little wooden beads pressed into the bark, but following the flowers, these are hard seed capsules encircling the stems.
Fiber-optic flowers, wooden-bead seed capsules, and a name like bottlebrush to take us back in years… this plant surely deserves more attention!
Mary Kidocker is a Master Gardener who writes frequently about the subject from a local perspective. Her columns are featured each Sunday. She is currently president of The Green Valley Gardeners.
Now, a favorite bottlebrush is an evergreen shrub or small tree with colorful, eye-catching, brush-shaped flower clusters. Presently, they are profusely blooming throughout our valley. This Australian native is given little attention in reference books on gardening in the south-west, dryland or low-water plants, desert shrubs, etc.
Lemon bottlebrushes (Callistemon citrinus) are commonly shrubby, arching plants. This variable family can be found as ground covers, dwarf shrubs, large bushes, and weeping trees. Found along creeks and swamps, or in areas of heavier rainfall “down under,” they require moderate and regular water.
Upon maturing, bottlebrush becomes reasonably drought-tolerant.
They will then do well on bimonthly irrigation, but growth will be slowed. This need for water to look their best is probably why the bottlebrush is not included in many desert garden references. These shrubs also are cold hardy only to 23 degrees. They will, however, recover rapidly in spring.
Because local soils are high in calcium carbonate, chlorosis can be a big problem with bottlebrush. This low-iron condition can be seen on new foliage when leaves fade to near-yellow, yet the veins within remain green. This is quite common now, and should be treated with an application of chelated iron. Because of our soil components, only the chelated form of iron can be taken up and used by plants. Follow directions on the label.
Tiny flowers form in clusters around and along branches, producing the bottlebrush shape. The flowers are actually hundreds of stamens massed together. The real show is the glowing red brush-like flowers, each tipped with a single dot of bright yellow pollen. This gives a glowing, fiber-optic appearance!
The 6-inch long flower clusters are set into the narrow bright green leaves. Most flowers are red, but also there are shades of pink, white, and mauve. Main bloom is in spring, but with the right conditions flowering can continue through summer and autumn. Nectar feeding birds, including hummingbirds, are attracted to these colorful blooms.
The lemon bottlebrush is the most common, and tolerates desert heat, cold, and alkaline soils best. Its nature is to become a massive, 10-foot to 15-foot shrub, but it can be trained into a narrow, round-canopy tree. When the leaves are crushed, a soft lemon scent emanates. New leaves are copper colored, and develop into vivid green.
A compact variety is “Little John.” This dwarf evergreen grows to only 3 feet high and can spread to 5 feet wide. Its blood-red flowers occur in spring, fall, and winter. With its round growth habit, this plant makes an attractive ground cover with a long bloom period.
White bottlebrush (C. salignus) can grow to 20 feet high by 10 feet wide, and has pale yellow to cream-colored flowers. More common is the weeping bottlebrush (C.viminalis) with pendulous branches and bright red flower clusters.
Bottlebrushes are widely available in nurseries and garden centers. Plant in early autumn or spring, in reflected sun to part shade, and well-drained soil. Plan to water regularly until established.
One last comment on the bottlebrush. If you haven’t noticed before, step closely and poke around until you see the small brown protrusions lining the branches. They may look like little wooden beads pressed into the bark, but following the flowers, these are hard seed capsules encircling the stems.
Fiber-optic flowers, wooden-bead seed capsules, and a name like bottlebrush to take us back in years… this plant surely deserves more attention!
Mary Kidocker is a Master Gardener who writes frequently about the subject from a local perspective. Her columns are featured each Sunday. She is currently president of The Green Valley Gardeners.
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