Callistemon, Dwarf Bottlebrush 'Little John'

Im charmed by this little Callistemon 'Little John'.

I always wanted a Callistemon but found the habit and leaf of most o...Read Moref them messy almost weedy and uninspiring out of flower, then I saw Little John in Australia New South Wales in a municiple planting of natives and couldn't believe how lovely it was.

What I particularly liked about it was its thick prostrate woody stems, like a proper little tree in miniature and the darkest ruby red flower brushes all held neatly upright topped with stunning dense silver leaves. Like a natural bonsai. The silver and red is particularily striking in that climate.

I have had mine in the ground since winter and even though still tiny they are covered in flowers at this the beginning of our wet season. It looks to be an easy plant to grow and seems to love our heavy rains and humidity. Our winters are bone dry and can drop to around 8%C/46%F for a few days at the height of that season and they were fine no leaf drop or browning at all. I actually planted them in the middle of the cool season at the lowest temps and watered freely.

My question on these little gems is are the host of newer ones coming out like 'Better John', 'Green John' etc actually better? And has anyone had experience growing the host of dwarf 'species' including the magnificently beautiful bright pale yellow dwarf C. pityoides.

The improved 'Johns' all say "more vigour", "easier to grow", "more dense foliage", "less woody", "easier in production" etc etc, but in fact Im finding it difficult imagining a better 'Little John" for the gardener at least. Particularly as I like the thick woody nature and prostrate habit, its very attractive indeed. I suppose if you wanted a very low dense leafy hedge or something the others might be better but as a specimen I cant see the improvement myself, not in the pictures at least? In fact 'Little John' looks neater, less floppy more rigid and the same for the flowers which seem to be more evenly upright and charming? The new ones seem to have the flowers going on all over the place, hanging, upright, side ways, you name it, so a bit topsy turvey and all a bit lax as though they need a good hard strimming once a week.

Feed back would be appreciated as I can't find much on the net about actual grower experience on these new ones yet.

It's a beautiful plant, but do NOT try to grow it if you live in USDA zone 9a or colder. Even zone 9b is quite borderline. Instead, gro...Read Morew the much more cold-hardy cousin, Callistemon Rigidus (Bottlebrush tree), and keep it pruned small if you want a smaller tree. It is quite similar but bigger. Callistemon Rigidus is not uncommon in northern Florida, southeastern Georgia and the northern Gulf of Mexico coast areas. It remains evergreen there. However, Callistemon Viminalis "Little John" will not survive in these regions at all. You need to be at least as far south as Tampa, FL/Orlando, FL to grow the Dwarf Bottlebrush 'Little John' in the southeastern United States, or practically as far as Brownsville in Texas. I cannot comment on the western United States but 'Little John' should be fine in coastal Southern California and any USDA zone 10 areas north of there. This year in Gainesville, North Florida, we had one night where temperatures dipped briefly to 26 degrees Fahrenheit. That was our coldest night of the year and it was enough to kill the plant entirely, although I admit that my 'Little John' was in a pot outdoors in very open and exposed area.

I know that the Dwarf Bottlebrushes take a lot of sun, but what do they do if they don't have full sun all the time? I have a spot that ...Read Morereceives ample late spring and summer sun, but in fall and winter, they are often in the shadows. I have one bush now that is close to the area I'd like to plant in, but it receives quite a bit more sun. I live in San Diego, CA about 10 miles from the coast.

Thanks for your help!

I have grown 'Little John' over several years in multiple client garden settings. Here in Central Florida (9b), in enriched, fast draini...Read Moreng sandy soil, it is definitely NOT drought tolerant when establishing but thereafter thrives on average water, sun and light fertilization. This last mild winter (low mid-30's F) kept plants steadily growing and 'Little John' has bloomed off and on over a very extended season. Past winters have shown foliar damage when exposed to high 20's but with complete recovery. It appears quite hardy and does not seem susceptible to pest problems. High marks!

I live in sub-tropical Australia ( but still have to put up with winter temperatures of up to -5C) and have about 15 Little Johns in my g...Read Morearden. Once established they are drought resistant but all callistemons love water (some grow naturally along river banks and some in the streams themselves). They can be a bit slow to establish but given fertiliser 2 times a year (they will tollerate higher phosphorous fertiliser) they will give a wonderfull display in spring and summer.Trim after flowering (behind old flowers).

If these plants are expensive then they are easily grown from seed. Take the finished seed pods from the plant, put in a paper bag and wait for the small seeds to come out of the pods and plant.

Ive grow regular Bottlebrush in Dallas, TX and it's fine

I just bought 3 of these dwarf ones at Jackson's on Lemmon, for $...Read More8.00 for 1 gal. plants - great price !

I hope by getting them established in the spring, they'll be fine by winter - I'll let yall know !

I've been wanting to add this shrub to my garden for a long time but the prices were so high, I just couldn't see forking out $25+ for a ...Read More2-3 gal. pot. I finally found 2 at bargain prices and planted them in full sun. I had read that they were drought tolerant but mine are very thirsty plants. Lucky for me, they are what I call "good communicators", meaning, they droop when thirsty, thus giving me a chance to correct the situation. Planted Fall 2012, I have been watering by rain or hose every couple of days to keep this plant happy. It could be that plenty of moisture is required in the begining while it gets established; time will tell. It is for sure a much misunderstood plant in my area as I see some spectacular specimens in some gardens and some quite pitiful ones as well. 2012 is proving to be a very mild winter so there is no foliage damage whatsoever. I am glad I was able to add this plant to my garden.

PS: Years ago I had spent good money in one plant, which quickly died. Thinking that is was low water, I believe it died due to insufficient moisture . After that experience, I was unwilling to spend so much money on a plant I didn't know how to care for. Hopefully, I've learned how to keep it happy.

I found Average Gardener's comment very helpful in deciding where to place my plant. I gamble with cold hardiness and am willing to accep...Read Moret some dieback on cold winters. I am 30 miles west of Austin and Central Austin is FULL of viable lush examples of this plant. It is on the a marginal range and this means that placement by a thermal mass in sun on fast draining soil will be preferable over clay in the open. I also know from reading where people are having a problem with this plant that this plant is a gamble for me. I find the negativity and self centeredness that Fire in Motion displayed very distateful. This person was not saying it was a bad plant for everyone, but was communicating to others in a similar situation that , yes, there are difficulties in growing it so take precautions. I also have heard that alkalinity is a problem., so I guess I will use some ground sulfur and think about warm micro climates.

I have a question not a comment but couldn't find where to post so please forgive me-
I was wondering if dwarf bottle brush is dee...Read Morer resistant?
Thanks

I've tried this growing this bottlebrush for several years with no sucess. In my zone 8a backyard, it dies all the way to base, even with...Read More protection. It may be viable in a desert zone 8, but not in the interior SE.

I bought this plant last spring. It had beautiful blue-green foliage. This winter I left it in the ground and infrequently covered it. ...Read MoreAll of its leaves turned brown. It got down to twelve degrees this winter but it is surprisingly coming back now, from the bottom of the stem.

I'm still waiting to see if my plant is going to come back. We did have one of the coldest, snowiest winters on record in this area also...Read More. No signs of life yet. I hope it comes back. UPDATE: I HAVE TRIED THIS PLANT TWICE, BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM TO LIKE OUR CLIMATE.

We are 40 miles north of Austin, TX, and had a very cold winter. Night temperatures were in the teens for a number of days. Our dwarf bot...Read Moretlebrushes turned brown. The stems break with no green showing. Advice ranges from they are dead to cut them back to the main branches. Does anyone know if they will come back?

I bought a "callisternon citrinus" little john bottlebrush plant recently. It's planted in a large pot. How much subdued outdoor light wi...Read Morell the plant tolerate? Reply please.

This plant is indeed more cold tolerant than zone 9. It has survived temperatures into the mid to low teens for several nights in a row ...Read Morehere in the high desert of Southern California. The plant did loose it's leaves but came back in the spring looking better than ever.

Although the plant tags and websites state that this plant is not hardy in Zone 8b, I have observed several of them growing in my area wh...Read Moreich is the colder portion of 8b for the past 3 years or more. Also, my neighbor across the street bought 3 last year after I had shown him the other plants. We have experienced temperatures in the middle 20s (nights and early mornings) each winter as well as an ice storm. The plants have not suffered any damage; however in the past, we have had colder winters. I had been hesitant to purchase any because they are expensive and I did not want to waste my money if they can't handle the cold weather here. I examined the plants I have been watching and they are fine. So, today I bought 3 one gallon-size plants. I sure hope that I did not make a mistake. 'Little John' is a beautiful plant even when not in bloom.

This shrub is also attractive to hummingbirds. It is a native of Australia. It prefers warm and humid environments. Prune in autumn af...Read Moreter flowering. The pollen of this shrub can pose allergen problems for folks who are sensitive.

Great small shrub excellent for landscaping (and pretty commonly used in southern California)- has flowers much of the warmer parts of th...Read Moree year- seems to have a flowering burst in the spring, and then later summer. Profuse flowers of dark red. and densely foliated.