Bottlebrush Fluro Burst

Bottlebrush 'Fluro Burst' (Callistemon 'Fluro Burst') is a compact native shrub to about 1.5m tall and wide, bred to give bottlebrush colour on a plant that fits a normal garden bed. The brushes open in bright pink and purple tones rather than the usual red, and honeyeaters and lorikeets find them within days. It hedges, it mass plants and it survives conditions that kill fussier shrubs.

Why you'll love it

• Unusual flower colour. Pink and purple brushes stand out against the red bottlebrushes in most streets, and they sit at eye level on a plant this size.
• Birds arrive quickly. The flowers are full of nectar, so honeyeaters, lorikeets and native bees start working the plant in its first flowering season.
• Hard to kill. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and happy in ground that stays wet, which covers most difficult sites.
• Compact by nature. At 1.5m by 1.5m it stays a shrub rather than turning into a small tree that needs constant cutting back.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense informal hedge to about 1.5m. Trim after each flush and it stays furnished right to ground level.

Mass planting and borders. The same 1m spacing works in a block, and the flowering is heavy enough that a group reads as colour rather than as green shrubs.

Coastal and damp sites. Salt tolerance and a genuine tolerance of wet feet make it useful along exposed boundaries and in low spots that puddle after rain.

Growing Bottlebrush 'Fluro Burst' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering. It grows across tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens, and it is frost hardy once established, so most of the country can use it. In deep shade it flowers poorly and grows open.

Soil. Not fussy. It handles clay, sand and poor ground, and unlike many natives it tolerates soil that stays damp. Avoid fertilisers high in phosphorus, which natives resent.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring is all it needs.

Pruning. Trim straight after flowering, cutting back behind the spent brushes. Regular light pruning keeps it dense; it also reshoots from older wood if a neglected plant needs resetting.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: single tubestock, and 200mm plants sold in packs of six. Tubes are young single stemmed plants and are the value option for a long hedge, adding roughly a season before the row closes. The 200mm plants are already branched and give a quicker result in a garden bed.

Natives travel well and usually arrive in good order, though some leaf drop after transit is normal. Expect a quiet two to three weeks, then new growth, with the first proper flowering in the season after planting. 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

• The complete callistemon care guide
• Compare every bottlebrush in the range
• Browse bird attracting plants
• Australian native shrubs for garden beds

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart. At that spacing the plants meet without competing, and the hedge closes over in about two seasons with a trim after each flowering.

Can I keep it lower than 1.5m?

Yes. Trimming after each flush will hold it at around a metre. Because it shoots from old wood, a hard reset in early spring recovers well rather than leaving bare sticks.

Does it cope with frost?

It is frost hardy once established and grows in cool temperate gardens. Young plants are the vulnerable ones, so protect them through their first winter in a district that frosts heavily.