Candy Pink Bottlebrush

Candy Pink Bottlebrush (Callistemon 'Candy Pink') swaps the familiar crimson brushes for soft pink ones, on a fast growing Australian native that reaches about 2m tall and 2m wide. It is one of those rare shrubs with no real weak point: it takes frost, drought, salt wind, poor soil and even waterlogged ground, and every flowering brings the honeyeaters in.

Why you'll love it

• Pink brushes, native toughness. The candy pink flowers read softer than the standard red, without giving up any bottlebrush resilience.
• Birds, bees and butterflies. The nectar rich brushes are a reliable feed station, so the hedge hums with life through every flush.
• Thrives where other shrubs drown. It tolerates wet feet as well as drought, making it the answer for that low boggy strip beside the fence.
• Fast to fill its space. A quick grower that reaches screening size within a few seasons from even small stock.
• Frost hardy and coast proof. Comfortable from cool temperate districts to subtropical coasts, so it works in almost any Australian garden.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row for a dense informal hedge around 1.5m to 2m. Trimmed after each flowering it stays full to the base.

Mass planting. Set 1m to 1.5m apart, a drift of Candy Pink fills a bank or broad bed with foliage and seasonal colour for very little care.

Coastal gardens and wet spots. Salt tolerance makes it dependable within reach of sea spray, and beside dams, drains and downpipe outlets few flowering shrubs are this happy in periodically soaked ground.

Growing Candy Pink Bottlebrush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun brings the heaviest flowering; light shade thins it. It performs across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean climates, handling cold inland mornings without damage once established.

Soil. Almost anything: sand, clay, poor soil, wet ground or dry. Improve the planting hole with compost by all means, but this shrub does not need pampering.

Water and feed. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, then let rainfall do most of the work. A low phosphorus native fertiliser in spring supports flowering, and mulch keeps the root zone even.

Pruning. Trim lightly behind each flush, cutting just below the spent brushes. This keeps the shrub dense and encourages the next round of buds. Avoid cutting into old leafless wood.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Candy Pink from cheap and cheerful tube stock, through 140mm, 200mm and 250mm multi plant packs sized for hedges and mass planting, up to established 300mm pots. Tubes are small but move quickly; a hedge planted from them closes in a couple of extra seasons. The 300mm plants give an instant sense of the finished shrub.

Bottlebrushes are forgiving travellers and establish readily in warm soil. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect new growth within a month in the warmer half of the year. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• All about callistemon, the bottlebrush
• Browse the full bottlebrush range
• More bird attracting plants
• Explore all Australian natives

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. The plants touch within a season or two and knit into a continuous informal hedge that still flowers freely.

When does it flower?

The main flush comes in spring, typically with follow up flushes through the warm months, especially on trimmed plants. Flowering is heaviest in full sun.

Will it survive in wet soil?

Yes. Callistemons are streamside plants by origin, and Candy Pink tolerates periodically waterlogged ground that kills most hedging shrubs. It equally handles dry spells once established.

Do birds really use it?

Constantly. The brushes produce abundant nectar, and honeyeaters, wattlebirds and insect feeders work the shrub through every flowering. A hedge of it functions as a feeding corridor.