How to Use a Bottlebrush Shrub in Landscaping

The bottlebrush shrub provides colorful, brush-shaped blooms in gardens of the Deep South. The most common type is Callistemon citrinus, or Red Bottlebrush, so called because of its vibrant red, spiked blossoms that attract hummingbirds and butterflies. The bottlebrush shrub is tolerant of sea salt, making it suitable for shore-side gardens near the ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Use the versatile Callistemon to landscape expansive properties or a small backyard garden.

Instructions

1. Grow a bottlebrush shrub as a specimen tree. Prune away lower branches as the bush grows to its mature height of 10 to 15 feet, leaving upper branches intact to form a tree-like canopy.

2. Use a bottlebrush hedge to separate expanses of property and establish boundaries. Plant the shrubs in a row, 5 to 6 feet apart. Prune the shrubs into an even formal hedge or allow the shrubs to grow freely for a broad, natural look.

3. Create a colorful bottlebrush wall covering to hide unsightly concrete or barriers. Train the bottlebrush branches to grow along vertical wires in espalier style. As the plant matures, its dense growth will develop into an effective, natural screen.

4. Design a butterfly garden with a bottlebrush shrub as the focal point. Anchor one corner of the garden bed with the large form of the bottlebrush, include flowering perennial plants that attract hummingbirds as butterflies, and fill in with spring blooming bulbs.

5. Use bottlebrush shrubs on commercial properties to form a buffer strip around parking lots. Plant the shrubs in two or more staggered rows to grow a dense physical and visual divider between the parking area and the surrounding property.

References

• Callistemon citrinus---Red Bottlebrush fact sheet
• MSU Extension: Bottlebrush is an unusual and colorful shrub

Resources

• Univ. of FL: Bottlebrush Shrub is a Magnet for Hummingbirds