Callistemon Woodlanders Hardy

Callistemon 'Woodlanders Hardy' is an excellent variety of bottlebrush that is hardy, resistant to summer drought, and undemanding in terms of soil. The bush, which takes up some space on the ground, displays beautiful raspberry-red spike inflorescences in spring. All these qualities will give your garden a very exotic touch. To highlight this Callistemon, give it a large slope or enough space in a large shrub border.

Callistemon 'Woodlanders Hardy' is an evergreen bush from the myrtle family, a cousin of myrtles and Leptospermum. The lineage of this horticultural variety introduced to the USA by Woodlanders Nursery is unknown. Its overall appearance is comparable to that of Callistemon citrinus, but its hardiness is much higher, approaching that of C. sieberi.

It is a moderately fast-growing shrub with a bushy habit, slightly spreading if not pruned, composed of flexible and slightly arching branches. In the long term, depending on the growing conditions, it will reach a minimum of 2 m in all directions, up to 2.50 m in very favourable conditions. Its sparse, slender, and particularly narrow foliage, consists of tough leaves measuring 4 to 6 cm long and 4-5 mm wide. They are dark green and emit a pleasant scent when crushed. Its 10-11 cm long inflorescences appear at the end of the branches, just above the young leaves, in May-June. They are composed of petal-less flowers with very long bright red stamens gathered in cylindrical spikes. Over time, the bright red turns into raspberry red. On mature subjects, in not too dry soil, smaller re-blooming can be observed during the summer. The flowering is followed by the formation of small, very hard cup-shaped fruits embedded in the bark. It is a nectar-rich plant that attracts many pollinating insects to the garden, including bees. To maintain a bushy shape, prune this Callistemon just after flowering.

Callistemen Woodlanders Hardy is hardy to about -10°C/-12°C, creates an original silhouette in the garden and offers a very exotic flowering. With a little care, it will become a beautiful hedge shrub or even an interesting specimen to place alone in the centre of a border of low or creeping plants: choose, for example, creeping rosemary, ground-covering rockroses such as Cistus x pulverulentus, C. x skanbergii, silver bindweed Convolvulus cneorum, Nepeta x faassenii... In a seaside hedge, it can be associated with Grevillea juniperina, Caesalpinia gillesii, Leptospermum, Melaleuca. It can also be planted in an evergreen hedge, accompanied by a shrubby ceanothus ('Italian Skies', 'Concha', 'Puget Blue', 'Skylark'...), oleanders. Its good tolerance to salt allows for coastal exposure, facing the wind and sea spray.