Callistemon laevis - Bottlebrush

Callistemon laevis is a variety of bottlebrush, probably of horticultural origin, which is among the most popular. It is indeed this bush, with a beautiful bushy habit and a particularly perpetual flowering, that made Australian shrubs known and appreciated in France a few years ago. It is appreciated for its dazzling flowering in almost fluorescent red brushes on light green foliage, which invariably follows its young shoots tinged with red, up to 4 times a year from April to September. Its origins, somewhat despised by purists, do not matter: its triumphant beauty shines in a large pot on the terrace, in well-amended and watered soil, or in the centre of an exotic bed in mild climates.

Callistemon laevis is an evergreen bush of the myrtle family, cousin of myrtles and Leptospermum, whose origins are lost in Australia. Callistemons are mostly riverside plants that appreciate well-drained soils, without excess limestone, and occasionally even dry soils, as well as abundant and occasional watering to support their flowering.

It is a bush of mild climates, with brittle wood, forming a rounded and slightly spreading bush, composed of flexible branches. Its growth is rather fast, reaching a height of 1.80m (5ft 11in) and a width of 1.50m (4ft 11in) at maturity, if not pruned by the cold. Its linear and narrow foliage is divided into 5cm (2in) long and 1cm (0.4in) wide leaflets. They are tinged with salmon red when they first emerge, become light green, and then turn bright green. The young leaves produced at the end of summer retain their reddish-orange colour throughout the winter. Its inflorescences appear at the end of the branches, just above the young leaves. They are composed of very long stamens of a very bright red, taking on a more magenta colour as the days go by, and are gathered in cylindrical spikes. These inflorescences are about 5cm (2in) wide and 7cm (2.8in) long, and hang slightly. The terminal bud repeatedly develops new leaves, then new brushes, while the old inflorescence produces small, very hard cup-shaped fruits embedded in the bark. The flowering can be renewed several times during the season in cool soil and warm climate, especially in late summer. It is also a honey and nectar plant that attracts many pollinating insects to the garden.

Hardy to about -5°C/-6°C, Callistemon laevis withstands summer drought quite well once well established, but appreciates water in dry climates. In a greenhouse or conservatory, it will create an extremely decorative quartet with an orange tree, a Tibouchina or a Mimosa, evoking landscapes with exotic charm and scents. In mild climates, especially on the Mediterranean coast or in the south of the Atlantic coast of our country, it can be used as a standalone plant - it deserves it - in the center of a bed, or as a free hedge, associated with Grevillea, Caesalpinia gillesii, Leptospermum, Melaleuca. It can also be planted in an evergreen hedge, accompanied by a shrubby Ceanothus ('Italian Skies', 'Concha', 'Puget Blue', 'Skylark'...), a spring-flowering broom, or Oleanders (Nerium oleander 'Soleil Levant' or 'Provence'). Its good tolerance to salt allows for coastal exposure, facing the wind and salt spray.