Callistemon, Bottlebrush 'Woodlander's Red'

I have been growing ‘Woodlanders Red’ Callistemon in my garden in Salt Lake City, Utah (zone 7b) for going on 7 years now. This is D...Read MoreEFINITELY a very tender plant for this area, and with trial and error I’ve found the microclimates they like in this area. For me they stay completely evergreen until temps hit right around 10 F, any lower and they will become mostly deciduous. They have only seen one winter with temps below 10 F, and with a low of 9 F the foliage definitely got burned but recovered quickly in spring and produced a good amount of gorgeous flowers! I have found in this area they like to be planted in sandy loam close to a south facing wall in full - mostly sun, kept very dry in winter, overhead protection provided by broadleaf evergreens or a roof, and watered at the very least once a week in summer. I am extremely impressed with this plant, and it is one of the main plants all of my neighbors ask about (there’s a few). I now have 5 specimens in total spread throughout the south side of my house mixed in with other broadleaf evergreens, agaves, hardy palms and yuccas. They look absolutely amazing in red rock gardens mixed with common Southwest plants. I am totally obsessed with this plant, and it has proven to be very hardy if given the right microclimate. I’m not sure how well this plant would preform in zone 7 climates on the east coast as the winter moisture/humidity vastly decreases the hardiness of this plant. This may only be do able in western zone 7 locations.

I purchased a Callistemon 'Woodlander's Hardy' more than three years ago. I planted in full sun, well drained soil. The problem is that e...Read Moreach year the plant dies to the ground and re-sprouts. This cultivar is consistently rated as hardy in zone 7 ( I live well within zone 7b). I am frustrated because this should easily be hardy, is it my growing conditions? Should I be offering the plant additional protection?

This is the only bottlebrush that's bullet proof cold hardy in central SC. Rigidus, or BB plants labeled as Clemson cold hardy, are real...Read Morely only cold hardy to zone 8b at most. If you live in zone 8a, don't waste your money on any other BB. I expect big box stores to occasionally market out of zone plants, but it's a shame that local nurseries do the same.

I love this plant, itblooms three times in our warmer seasons, keep looking for seedlings but alas have found none. This plant was a one...Read More gallon when I started it and it is absolutely stunning.