Christmas Bush

Christmas Bush 'Albery's Red' (Ceratopetalum gummiferum 'Albery's Red') is the selection grown for the depth of its summer colour. It reaches about 4m tall and 2.5m wide, holds fine glossy foliage all year, and from late spring carries small white flowers that give way to the enlarged red calyces the plant is known for. That colour builds over weeks and holds through Christmas, which no flower could manage.

Why you'll love it

• Weeks of colour, not days. The red comes from the calyces swelling after the flowers finish, so the display lasts far longer than a normal flowering shrub.
• A native that suits a small garden. At 4m by 2.5m it fits a suburban block, a courtyard corner or a narrow bed against a fence.
• Tough where it counts. Drought tolerant once established, salt tolerant on a coastal block, comfortable in humidity.
• Good for birds and bees. The spring flowers are worked by bees and butterflies, and small birds shelter in the fine foliage.

Where it works best

Screening and informal hedging. Plant 1.5m apart for an informal screen. This is not a plant for a tightly clipped formal hedge: the appeal is the loose upright habit, and hard shearing removes the wood that carries the colour.

Feature planting. One plant near an entry or a paved area gives a neat evergreen shrub for eleven months and a landmark in December.

Coastal and small gardens. Salt tolerance makes it a sound choice within a few streets of the beach, and the modest width suits a bed only 2m deep.

Growing Christmas bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest red; part shade produces a looser plant with paler colour. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and takes light frost only, so protect young plants through their first two winters.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly or loamy soil with genuinely free drainage. It resents wet feet more than almost anything else, so mound the bed on clay. Mulch 75mm deep, kept clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first two summers, after which it manages on rainfall. Feed once in early spring with a native fertiliser. Overfeeding produces soft growth and less colour.

Pruning. Prune straight after the red finishes, usually late summer, taking up to a third off the previous season's growth. Pruning later removes the wood that would have carried the next display.

What to expect when it arrives

Christmas bush is grown here as tube stock: a young plant around 15 to 25cm tall with a well developed root system. That is how most Australian natives are best planted, because small plants establish faster and anchor better than pot bound larger stock.

Expect the first worthwhile colour in the second or third summer, and a closed screen at 1.5m spacing by the third or fourth year. Plant tubes out promptly, water twice a week through the first summer, and resist the urge to feed heavily. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Native plants that bring in birds
• Browse Australian native shrubs
• Plants for coastal gardens
• Other flowering trees and large shrubs

Common questions

Why is my Christmas bush not colouring up?

Usually shade, or pruning at the wrong time. It needs full sun for strong red, and it must be cut soon after the display finishes, because pruning in autumn or spring removes the wood that carries the next one.

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

1.5m apart in a single row. That gives an informal screen of roughly 4m within three to four years, with each plant keeping its natural upright shape.

Will it grow outside New South Wales?

Yes. It performs well in subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, including coastal Victoria, South Australia and southern Western Australia, provided drainage is sharp and frost is light. In a pot 500mm or wider it will hold for a few years, though it is happier in the ground long term.