Metrosideros

Or Pohutukawa or New zeeland Christmas tree,always in flower here just be fore Christmas.
JWB

Ozboy - That's the kewlest shrub!! My sister lives in Australia, I wonder if she has one of those. Happy Christmas!

Dear JBW
That is beautiful.
Mary

This looks much like the Bottle Brush (Callistemon?) that I had in my yard in California. The brush section on ours was longer, but the same red color. I haven't seen them since I moved to Colorado. They must like a warmer climate. Too bad for us!
--Kris

I have a new Bottle Brush Shrub much like the one pictured here. I just planted it this spring. I am in zone 8b and now I'm wondering if it will survive the winter. I planted it in the ground. I thought I was safe with this plant until someone told me it might not survive the winter here. sigh I plan to mulch it real well. What do you think?

You'd think if a Bouganvillia that is planted in the ground comes back, and ours does, that the Bottle Brush would too.

Do you have Metrosideros which is the plant pictured above (not generally referred to by the common name bottlebrush), or do you have Callistemon which is the plant to which the common name Bottlebrush is applied most frequently? Metrosideros will not overwinter in your area, but some Callistemon's probably will, I've seen some of them listed as zone 8 and others as zone 9. Callistemons are much more common in nurseries and landscaping than Metrosideros so I'm guessing that's what you have. You might want to provide it with a little protection if this is going to be its first winter, but I think in general it'll be OK unless you have a really bad winter.

I have several bottlebrush that survive the winter very well here. There's a Callistemon linearis that I planted on the boulevard a block away - it was snowed on, a mountain biker rode over it, people stepped on it and it's in full bloom. Callistem sieberi is often seen here. If you can do bouganvillia and we can't, I'd say it'll be fine.

Thanks so much for your replies. Yes my plant is Callistemon. It is a plant that is frequently sold in our area and referred to by the common name Bottle Brush.
After reading your replies I feel better about it. I think it will be ok if I mulch it well which I certainly will do. Our winters are mild here. Sometimes we may get down to 15 deg. but always warm up quickly. I will put something over the plant also when it gets real cold.

Lin

And I think once it's had a couple years to get established it shouldn't need covering unless you get a real cold snap--I've just experienced that younger plants sometimes don't deal as well with frost, etc so it helps them out if you protect them a bit for the first year or two

I have one growing here on the southern Oregon coast. Its doing fine, about 3 feet tall now. I can hardly wait for it to bloom. We did have some frost this last winter and it did fine. Any idea how big or old it needs to be to bloom? I got mine in a gallon pot, it was about a foot tall 2 years ago.
Rebecca

Good question Rebecca. I'd like to know the answer too. Mine was in a gallon or larger pot too when I bought it. Mine is about 1 1/2 ft. tall. It's putting on lots of new leaves.
Lin

I'm assuming we're still talking about Callistemons, not the Metrosideros of the original post? It may depend on the species/cultivar, but I have/had several different kinds and they all bloomed for me at least by their 2nd year. I bought all but one of them in 1 gal pots. I had one 'Cane's Hybrid' and 'Little John' which didn't bloom the year I planted them but bloomed the following year, and another 'Cane's Hybrid' and 'Jeffersii' which bloomed the year I got them.

I think if they were going to bloom this year they already would have started (many around here have been done blooming for a little while). 'Cane's Hybrid' seems to bloom a bit later, mine has buds on it now but isn't blooming, but all the other ones I've had or that I've seen tend to start blooming earlier in the year and are mostly done by now.

I think you've got it ecrane3 - I've found them to start blooming in the second year from a 1 gallon. They do need that sun/heat to flush-growth. I think it's the good drainage that helps them through frost and snow and the continuous winter rain here.

I am questioning the bloom age of the metrosideros, I also have bottlebrush. Some are in 2 gallon pots and are about 3 feet tall. I am not so excited to see the bloom on them, the foliage is so bright red and pretty, I don't care if they ever bloom! But the other, I can see from
Ozboy's picture how stunning they are and am eagerly waiting a bloom on mine. I don't see any buds now, so maybe next year....anyway its done well in my spot and looks healthy.
Rebecca

I had a Metrosideros as well, and it also bloomed for me the 2nd year after it was planted, only one or two flowers though. Then it died for unknown reasons so don't know what would have happened after that!

Thanks for the reply, I will hope for some blooms next year and sure hope it doesn't die! You need to get another, they are so pretty.
Rebecca

I think a fungus may have got mine--I had a toyon planted right next to it that succumbed to some sort of Phytophthora (not sure if I spelled that quite right!) so it may have had the same problem. Or maybe my gopher chewed its roots off. Either way, hopefully it's not a problem you'll run into! How long have you had yours? I'm curious because it's only supposed to be hardy to zone 10 (although it definitely wasn't winter that did mine in and I'm only a half zone warmer than you, so I think it might be hardier than people think)

I have had mine for 3 years, its been outside in a pot for 2. Just put it in the garden and it took the frost we had fine, didn't even lose leaves. I am having high hopes for it, so far no problems, something took a bite out of a couple leaves, but other than that its thriving.
Rebecca