Callistemon pallidus
lemon bottlebrush
an erect or spreading evergreen shrub, 2-4m high, with numerous slender branches. The young shoots are silvery or red and covered in silky hairs, as well as narrowly-elliptic, grey-green or dark green, leaves up to 10cm long. Cream or pale yellow flowers, in semi-open "bottlebrush" spikes 10cm long, appear from late spring to midsummer, followed by woody fruit capsules which may persist for several years
Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metresTime to ultimate height
10–20 yearsUltimate spread
2.5–4 metresGrowing conditions
Moisture
Moist but well–drainedpH
Acid, NeutralColour & scent
| Stem | Flower | Foliage | Fruit | |
| Spring | Red Grey Silver | Cream Yellow | Green Grey Silver | Brown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | Red Grey Silver | Cream Yellow | Green Grey Silver | Brown |
| Autumn | Red Grey Silver | Green Grey Silver | Brown | |
| Winter | Red Grey Silver | Green Grey Silver | Brown |
Position
- Full sun
Aspect
West–facing or South–facing or East–facing
Exposure
Sheltered Hardiness
H3Botanical 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
Correct
- Plant range
- Australia, Tasmania
How to grow
Cultivation
Grow in full sun in moderately fertile, freely-draining but moisture-retentive neutral or acidic soil; under glass grow in peat-free, loam-based compost
Propagation
Propagate by seed, sown onto moist compost at 16-18°C, in spring, or by heeled semi-ripe cuttings of lateral shoots in late summer
Suggested planting locations and garden types
- Coastal
- City and courtyard gardens
- Cottage and informal garden
- Mediterranean climate plants
- Low Maintenance
- Wall side borders
- Hedging and screens
Pruning
Pruning group 1 (little or no pruning of trees and shrubs)
Pests
May be susceptible to scale insect, mealy bug 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.