Summer Days Bottlebrush

Summer Days Bottlebrush (Callistemon 'Summer Days') is a compact native shrub that flowers red through the warm months and asks almost nothing in return. It settles at about 2m tall and 1.5m wide, hedge height without being a tree, and it takes drought, frost, salt spray and periods of wet feet in its stride. Honeyeaters find it within days of the first flowers opening.

Why you'll love it

• Hedge height without the work. At 2m by 1.5m it screens a fence line or a bin area without needing to be cut back hard to stay in bounds.
• Red flowers in summer. Bright red brushes cover the shrub through the warm season, with a light second flush in many gardens.
• Birds and bees. Bottlebrush is one of the most reliable nectar plants in an Australian garden, and honeyeaters work it hard.
• Handles wet and dry. Drought tolerant once established, but also content in ground that stays damp, which is unusual and useful in a low spot.

Where it works best

Hedging and screening. Plant 1m apart in a single row. At that spacing the shrubs meet into a solid informal hedge within two to three seasons and stay furnished right to the base.

Mass planting. The same 1m spacing works in drifts along a driveway or across a bank, where the summer flowering reads as a block of colour.

Feature planting. A single plant suits a native bed or a courtyard corner, and it takes light shaping if you want a rounded form.

Growing Summer Days Bottlebrush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering; part shade gives a looser shrub and fewer brushes. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and arid gardens, and is frost hardy once established.

Soil. Almost any soil, including clay and ground that stays wet after rain. Avoid high phosphorus fertilisers, which natives of this group resent.

Water and feed. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. A native fertiliser in early spring is enough, and overfeeding gives soft growth instead of flowers.

Pruning. This is the one job that matters. Trim lightly straight after each flush, cutting back behind the spent brushes, which keeps the shrub dense and prevents the woody bare legs that neglected bottlebrush develops.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock and as 140mm plants in packs of ten, so both are young shrubs rather than instant hedges. Tubes suit a long run, because bottlebrush establishes quickly and catches a larger plant within two seasons. The 140mm plants give a head start of roughly a season.

Expect little visible growth for the first month while roots move into the soil, then steady growth and first flowers in the second summer. 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 complete bottlebrush growing guide
• Compare the full callistemon range
• Screening plants in the 1m to 2m range
• Bird attracting plants to pair with it

Common questions

How far apart for a hedge?

One metre apart in a single row. Tighter spacing does not close the gap faster and makes the lower branches shade each other out, which leaves a thin base.

Can I keep it lower than 2m?

Yes. Trimming after each flowering flush holds it comfortably at 1.2m to 1.5m. Cutting into old bare wood is less reliable, so it is far better to trim little and often.

Will it cope with a wet corner of the garden?

Better than most shrubs. It tolerates periods of wet feet and still handles drought later, which suits ground that swings between the two.

When does it flower?

Mainly through summer, with a lighter second flush in many gardens if you trim after the first. Flowering is heaviest in full sun.