NSW Christmas Bush (Ceratopetalum)

How to choose a Christmas bush

The NSW Christmas Bush is the species. It grows as a large shrub or small tree of four to six metres in gardens, and because it is raised from seed or cuttings the colour varies a little from plant to plant, from pink red to red. The Alberys Red Christmas Bush is a long established selection chosen for its deep red sepals, and it is the form most often grown for cut flowers. The Shiraz Christmas Bush is another named selection grown for its colour.

The Coachwood is a close relative and a different kind of plant: a rainforest tree of ten to fifteen metres in gardens, with smooth, grey, fragrant bark, white flowers in late spring and pinkish red sepals in summer, quieter than those of Christmas Bush.

Where Christmas bush grows

Christmas Bush comes from sandstone country, and that tells you what it wants: free draining, slightly acidic soil, a cool, mulched root run and no wet feet. It grows in sun or light shade in temperate and subtropical gardens, and colours most strongly with plenty of sun. It tolerates light frost only once established. Coachwood wants moist, humus rich soil, shelter from hot wind and part shade when young, and is not a tree for dry, exposed sites.

Do not confuse it with New Zealand Christmas bush, which is a metrosideros with red brush flowers and quite different needs. For companions that like the same lean, well drained soil, see our Australian native shrubs and waratahs.

Planting and spacing

Plant on a mound or a slope if the soil is at all heavy. Christmas Bush dislikes root disturbance, so ease it gently from the pot, do not tease out the roots, and choose its position carefully because it resents being moved. Space plants two to three metres apart for an informal screen. Mulch with leaf litter or coarse bark, kept clear of the trunk.

Care basics

Water regularly for the first two summers, and after that through dry spells in spring, when the flowers and sepals are forming. Feed only with a low phosphorus fertiliser made for native plants, lightly, in spring. Ordinary garden fertilisers carry too much phosphorus and can harm it.

Prune after the red display finishes, by cutting stems for the vase or trimming by up to a third. This keeps the plant bushy and brings more flowering wood for the following year. Avoid cutting into bare old wood. The NSW Christmas bush growing guide explains how to get the red display and when to prune.

Common questions

Why is my Christmas Bush white, not red?

The white stage is the true flowers, which open in spring. The sepals behind them redden afterwards, usually by December.

Is it the same as New Zealand Christmas bush?

No. NSW Christmas Bush is a Ceratopetalum. New Zealand Christmas bush is a Metrosideros, an unrelated plant.

Can I cut Christmas Bush for a vase?

Yes. It is a long lasting cut flower, and cutting stems in December doubles as the annual prune.

Why did my Christmas Bush die suddenly?

Usually wet feet or disturbed roots. It needs sharp drainage and should be left alone once planted.