Slim™ Bottlebrush

Callistemon Slim (Callistemon viminalis 'CV01') is the bottlebrush for boundaries with no room to spare. It grows about 3m tall but only 1.3m wide, and it holds that narrow shape by nature rather than by constant trimming. Add red brushes that pull in honeyeaters and bees, and you have a native screen that fits where most hedging plants simply will not.

Why you'll love it

• Narrow by breeding, not by battle. The upright habit stays around 1.3m wide on its own, so a side path or tight boundary bed stays a path, not a hedge fight.
• Red flowers that feed the locals. Bottlebrush blooms bring honeyeaters, bees and butterflies into the garden through the flowering flushes.
• Handles wet feet and drought. Few screening plants tolerate both a boggy corner and a dry summer. This one does, which solves some awkward sites.
• Genuinely hardy. Frost hardy, heat tolerant and comfortable with coastal salt, so it performs from cool temperate gardens to the tropics.
• An Australian native. A selected form of a much loved east coast species, at home in native and formal gardens alike.

Where it works best

Narrow screens and hedges. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense screen about 3m tall. It reaches full height quickly for a hedge plant while staying slim enough to walk past.

Small gardens and courtyards. One plant makes a fine upright feature where a spreading shrub would swallow the space.

Pots and balconies. It grows happily long term in a large container, bringing flowers and birds to a balcony rail.

Growing Callistemon Slim in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the most flowers and the densest column; light shade is tolerated at some cost to both. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and arid gardens, and being frost hardy it does not need babying through southern winters.

Soil. Almost anything. It tolerates heavy soil and periodically wet ground as well as dry sand, which is rare among screening natives. Compost through the planting hole still helps it away.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. Feed with a controlled release native fertiliser in spring and late summer.

Pruning. None is needed to keep it narrow. A light trim behind each flowering flush thickens the screen and encourages the next round of brushes.

What to expect when it arrives

We grow Callistemon Slim from tube stock through 140mm, 200mm and 250mm pack sizes to 300mm and 400mm pots and advanced 30L and 45L stock. Tubes are the value pick for a long screen and establish fast; the larger pots buy you a year or two of height on day one. Expect a quiet few weeks after planting, then steady growth once the roots take hold.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• All about callistemon, the bottlebrush
• More tall and narrow screening plants
• Screening plants in the 2m to 4m range
• Plants for bees and butterflies

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

One metre apart in a single row. That closes into a solid narrow screen while leaving each plant room to flower well along its full height.

How wide does it really get?

About 1.3m at maturity. It is one of the few screening plants that genuinely fits a bed a metre or so deep without leaning into the path.

Will it cope with a wet corner of the yard?

Yes. It tolerates periodically wet ground as well as drought, so the low spot that drowns other hedging plants is a fair site for this one.

When does it flower?

The main show is in the warm months, typically arriving in flushes rather than one event. Trimming lightly after each flush usually brings on the next.

Western Australia: this species has escaped from gardens and naturalised in WA, where it competes with local bushland plants. We do not recommend it for gardens in the south west of WA. Please choose a local alternative.