Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Shrubs

Callistemon subulatus 'Packer's Selection'

bottlebrush 'Packer's Selection'

A shrubby, slightly lax and weeping evergreen shrub to around 1.5m, with narrow, dark green aromatic foliage, pointed at the tips. Masses of rich dark red, silky bottlebrush-like flowers appear in mid-summer with another flush of flowers later in the season in a hot summer. Flowers are followed by brown, woody fruits which may persist for a long period. Prune back hard to maintain a compact shape, or leave to grow naturally to form a fountain-like haze of branches

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
1 suppliers

Ultimate height

1–1.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Myrtaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Callistemon are evergreen shrubs with aromatic, linear to lance-shaped leaves and bottlebrush-like spikes of flowers in which the long colourful stamens are prominent
Name status: Not established

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained, neutral to acid soil in full sun; established plants are drought resistant. In colder areas grow under glass in peat-free, loam-based compost in full light with good ventilation. Pot on or top dress in early spring

Propagation

Propagate by seed or from semi-ripe cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Mediterranean climate plants
Patio and container plants
Low Maintenance
Climber and wall shrubs
Conservatory and greenhouse
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Pruning group 8

Pests

May be susceptible to scale insects, mealybugs and glasshouse red spider mite

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.