Great Balls of Fire Bottlebrush

Great Balls of Fire Bottlebrush (Callistemon salignus 'Great Balls of Fire') is a hedge grown for its foliage first. Every flush of new growth emerges scarlet against the deep green behind it, so it colours up after each trim rather than once a year. Compact at about 2.5m tall and 1.8m wide, it holds a dense screen from the ground up.

Why you'll love it

• Red growth on demand. Each trim triggers a fresh scarlet flush, so the hedge shows colour all season without relying on flowers.
• A hedge that behaves. Held between 1.5m and 2m with a couple of trims a year.
• Grows almost anywhere. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, comfortable in coastal salt air, poor soil and even wet ground.
• A native the wildlife uses. Cream brushes feed honeyeaters and bees.
• Fast and low fuss. Quick to close into a screen, with no spraying required.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row; with water and feed the row reads as a solid hedge within about two seasons.

Mass planting. Repeated at 1m centres across a bank or wide bed, the synchronised red flushes are the whole show.

Problem ground. The soggy strip beside a fence or an exposed coastal boundary: this is the hedge for ground that has beaten politer plants.

Growing Great Balls of Fire Bottlebrush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the strongest colour and densest habit; light shade is workable but looser. It performs in tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and handles frost once established.

Soil. Genuinely unfussy. Sand, heavier clay, poor ground and wet patches all suit it.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first summer, then rainfall does most of the work. A controlled release native fertiliser in spring and again in late summer keeps the flushes strong.

Pruning. Trim little and often through the warm months; every cut is repaid with new red growth. An overgrown hedge can be cut back hard in spring and will reshoot.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell it in 200mm pots in packs of six and 250mm pots in packs of three, both priced for whole hedge runs, plus single plants in 300mm pots and advanced 45L stock for instant height. Young plants are bushy rather than tall, which is what you want: smaller stock furnishes better at the base.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. Expect new growth within a month in warm weather, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• All about callistemon, the bottlebrush guide
• Browse the full bottlebrush range
• Compare hedging and screening plants
• More bird attracting plants

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row, which lets each plant furnish to the ground while the canopies knit into a continuous screen.

Does it flower?

Yes, cream bottlebrush flowers that bees and honeyeaters visit, though they are modest. This cultivar was selected for its scarlet new growth.

What height can I hold it at?

Anywhere from about 1.5m up to its natural 2.5m. Regular trimming keeps it well under the 3m sometimes quoted for the species, and it stays dense at the base.

Will it cope with a wet or coastal site?

Yes to both. It tolerates wet feet, which rules out most hedging alternatives, and it shrugs off salt laden coastal air.