Purple Splendour Bottlebrush

Purple Splendour Bottlebrush (Callistemon 'Purple Splendour') does something most bottlebrushes cannot: it flowers in rich purple rather than the usual red, on a compact shrub about 2.5m tall and 2m wide. You keep everything that makes a bottlebrush worth planting, the toughness, the birds, the easy nature, and gain a colour that stops people at the front fence.

Why you'll love it

• Purple where you expect red. The brushes open a deep purple that reads as genuinely different in a streetscape full of red callistemons.
• Compact enough for real gardens. At about 2.5m by 2m it fits a small garden or courtyard without the constant cutting a full sized bottlebrush would need.
• The birds still come. Honeyeaters treat the purple brushes exactly like red ones, so the show comes with visitors.
• Tough all rounder. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, comfortable in damp ground and tolerant of coastal salt: it covers more situations than almost any shrub its size.
• Pet friendly. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so it can sit beside paths, lawns and play areas without a second thought.

Where it works best

Feature planting. Use it as the colour accent in a native bed, against silver or deep green foliage where the purple carries furthest.

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart for a dense flowering hedge. It holds comfortably below 2m with a trim or two a year, which makes it a fine fence line plant for smaller blocks.

Small gardens, pots and containers. The compact habit suits courtyards, and it flowers well in a large container in full sun.

Growing Purple Splendour Bottlebrush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun grows the most brushes; light shade costs you flowers. It performs across subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and arid or semi arid zones, and being frost hardy it handles cold winters that rule out softer flowering shrubs.

Soil. Any reasonable soil, from sand to clay. It tolerates wet feet, so the patch that stays damp after rain is workable, and poor soil slows it without stopping it.

Water and feed. Deep soak twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A native controlled release fertiliser in spring supports flowering without forcing soft growth.

Pruning. Trim just behind the spent brushes when each flowering finishes. That one habit keeps the shrub dense, rounded and full of the new wood that carries next season's colour.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Purple Splendour as tube stock and in 200mm packs of 6. Tubes are small, well rooted starters that establish quickly; a single 200mm pack plants a 6m hedge run at the recommended 1m spacing, which takes the guesswork out of ordering. Both settle in fast, with a quiet fortnight and then steady new growth in warm weather.

Plants are packed upright and 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 full bottlebrush growing guide
• Browse the complete bottlebrush range
• More plants for small gardens
• Bird attracting plants for every state

Common questions

Is the flower really purple?

Yes. The new brushes open a rich purple, distinct from the reds and pinks most people associate with bottlebrush. Against grey or silver foliage the colour is at its strongest.

How far apart should I plant a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. The plants knit into a continuous flowering hedge you can hold anywhere between about 1.5m and its natural 2.5m.

Will it handle frost and inland heat?

Both. It is frost hardy once established and copes with arid and semi arid summers, which is why it turns up in tough country town plantings as often as coastal gardens.

Is it safe for dogs and cats?

Yes, it is pet friendly, with no known toxicity for cats or dogs. Spent brushes on the lawn are a chew temptation for puppies but not a poisoning risk.