Callistemon viridiflorus, my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

Yes it’s true, another Callistemon! If it looks a little familiar maybe it’s because you saw bits of it when I featured Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo’ a couple of weeks ago. Truth be told I think this is my very favorite Callistemon of the eight (Ha! What!? 8!!!) in my garden. Don’t tell the others okay?

Why Callistemon viridiflorus? Well first off all the almost white branching structure is just amazing. Whether it’s playing off the bleached coloration of the Stipa tenuissima (Mexican Feather Grass) in the front garden (above) or the tawny fall tones of Hakonechloa (Japanese Forest Grass) in the back garden…

Secondly the leaves are so perfect. Little regimented spear shapes marching up the stem…

The older of my pair bloomed last June, lovely yellow-green bottle brush blooms…

On striking red new growth...

And the red remains (for awhile) as stripes on the stems.

And of course the blooms are replaced with these fabulous little nodules…

So that’s my gushing, what do the experts have to say?

The Desert Northwest: … "From the windswept heaths of Tasmania (sounds dramatic doesn't it?) comes this outstanding bottlebrush species with many ornamental virtues: a generous show of creamy brushes in spring, a strongly upright growth habit, soft felty new growth produced from conspicuous cone-like branch buds, and peeling white bark. It adapts well to cultivation even in hot climates, and can be grown on wet or dry soil, though it does require sun. One Seattle gardener has made it into a spectacular hedge! In addition it is extremely cold-hardy, easily withstanding 5-10 °F."

Cistus: "Small and compact evergreen shrub, to 5 ft tall x 6 ft wide…arching branches carry small and glossy leaves and, in midsummer, soft, greenish yellow, bottlebrush flowers. Best in a hot, sunny position, well-drained with occasional summer water. Easily frost hardy in USDA zone 8 and very likely in zone 7 in optimum conditions."

Xera Plants: "One of our very favorite shrubs that combines unusual foliage, beautiful bark, and a great flower color. Upright growing with small scimitar shaped forest green leaves that line the wand-like stems. In cold weather this unusual shrub takes on maroon and purple tones, a great foil to the very light tan stems and trunk. In May 4" long by 1" wide chartreuse/yellow bottlebrushes protrude from the tips of the branches shoot out at every angle. In Tasmania where it is native it follows cold air drainages, proving that its requires at least some cold for good flower set…FULL sun and any soil with occasional summer water…Hardier to cold in full sun. Unusual shrub that seems to bridge the aesthetic gap between broad-leaved evergreen and conifer."

You know sometimes I think I could build a perfectly wonderful garden with only Calliestemon, Grevillea, Yucca, Opuntia and Agave. Then I start to think about the Manzanita, Schefflera, Tetrapanax, Echium, etc, etc, etc, and think how wonderful it is that I don’t have to choose!