Hannah Ray Bottlebrush

Hannah Ray Bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis 'Hannah Ray') is the weeping bottlebrush that works as a small tree rather than a shrub. It grows to about 4.5m tall and 3m wide, with arching branches that sweep down to a soft weeping outline and large red brushes covering the plant in spring. It is fast, native, and it brings honeyeaters into a garden within a season.

Why you'll love it

• A weeping shape that softens everything. The arching habit reads as a small tree, so it breaks up a hard fence line in a way a clipped hedge cannot.
• Red brushes in quantity. Heavy flowering in spring with a lighter repeat later, and honeyeaters and lorikeets working through it throughout.
• Fast to useful size. A fast growing native, so 3m of screening height comes within a few seasons rather than a decade.
• It handles both extremes. Drought tolerant once established and tolerant of wet feet, so it copes with a dry summer and a boggy winter corner alike.
• Hardy in most of the country. Frost hardy and salt tolerant, suiting tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens including coastal blocks.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 2m apart in a single row. Closer than that and the weeping branches tangle into each other and lose the shape that makes the plant worth having.

Driveways, windbreaks and shade. Along a drive, space at 3m so each crown keeps its form. On an open block, a staggered double row at 2m filters wind rather than blocking it.

Growing Hannah Ray Bottlebrush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering; part shade gives a thinner plant and fewer brushes. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and is frost hardy once established. Protect young plants through their first winter in hard frosting districts.

Soil. Adaptable, and more forgiving of heavy or damp ground than most natives. Clay is acceptable provided water moves through eventually. Work compost through the planting area, then mulch 75mm deep and keep it off the trunk.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then taper off as it establishes. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring and again after flowering, since high phosphorus fertilisers can damage the roots.

Pruning. Trim immediately after each flush, cutting just behind the spent brushes. That one habit keeps the plant dense and improves flowering over time. It shoots readily from old wood, so an overgrown plant can be cut back hard.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in four sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, and 300mm. The packs are the practical way to plant a screen or windbreak, since a 20m run at 2m spacing needs ten plants. Tube and 140mm stock is young and single stemmed, and catches up faster than people expect.

Some leaf drop on arrival is normal, and new growth usually appears within four to six weeks in warm weather. Expect around 50cm to 1m of growth a year once the roots are away. 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

• A grower's guide to callistemons
• Compare the full bottlebrush range
• Browse Australian native trees
• Plants suited to windbreaks

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Two metres apart in a single row. That is wide enough for each plant to keep its weeping shape while the canopies still meet.

Can I keep it smaller than 4.5m?

Yes. Trimming after each flowering flush holds it comfortably at 2m to 3m, and because it reshoots from old wood it stays leafy at the base rather than lifting into bare stems.

Why is my bottlebrush flowering poorly?

Usually too much shade, or pruning at the wrong time. Flowers form on growth made after the last trim, so cutting in late winter removes the coming season's brushes. Trim straight after flowering instead.