Callistemon citrinus Burgundy - Bottlebrush

Callistemon citrinus 'Burgundy' is an excellent bush for gardens with mild winters. With a nice bushy and compact habit, slightly weeping with age, it is appreciated for its dazzling flowering in intense burgundy red bottlebrushes on light green foliage, which follows its young shoots tinged with red, during a long summer period. Its evergreen foliage, particularly tough, releases a scent when crushed that curiously resembles that of the Lemon Eucalyptus, its cousin from the myrtle family. Its modest size for the genus, its attractive habit, its attractive foliage all year round, and its long flowering make it an excellent terrace plant, in any region. It shines at the center of an exotic bed in mild climates.

Callistemon citrinus is an evergreen bush from the myrtle family, cousin to myrtles and Leptospermum, native to Australia like them. Callistemons are mostly riverside plants that appreciate well-drained, moist soils, without excess limestone, occasionally even dry soils, but also abundant and occasional watering that supports their flowering. Its species name, citrinus, refers to the particular smell of its foliage.

The cultivar 'Burgundy' has a more compact habit, not exceeding 2.50m (8ft 2in) in height and 2m (6ft 7in) in spread. It is a bush for mild climates, with brittle wood, forming a rounded bush with a slightly spreading habit, composed of flexible branches. Its growth is rather fast. Its foliage, linear and narrow, is divided into leaflets 5cm (2in) long and 1cm (0.4in) wide. They are tinged with salmon red when they first emerge, become light green, then bright green. The young leaves produced in late summer retain their reddish-orange colour throughout winter. Its inflorescences appear at the end of the branches, just above the young leaves. They are composed of very long stamens in a dark burgundy violet, gathered in cylindrical spikes. These inflorescences are 5cm (2in) wide and about 10cm (3.9in) long, and slightly drooping. The terminal bud repeatedly develops new leaves, then new bottlebrushes, while the old inflorescence produces small, very hard fruit in the shape of a cup, embedded in the bark. The flowering can renew from May-June to August-September in moist soil and warm climate, especially in late summer. It is also a honey and nectar plant that attracts many pollinating insects to the garden.

Hardy to about -7°C/-8°C, Callistemon 'Burgundy' withstands summer drought quite well once well established, but appreciates water in dry climates. In a greenhouse or conservatory, it will compose an extremely decorative quartet with an orange tree, a Tibouchina, or a Mimosa, evoking landscapes with exotic charm and scents. On the Mediterranean coast or in a warm to moderately hot Atlantic climate, it can be used as a standalone plant - it deserves it - at the centre of a bed, or as an informal hedge, associated with Grevillea, Phormium, Caesalpinia gillesii, Leptospermum, Melaleuca. It can also be planted in an evergreen hedge, accompanied by a shrubby Ceanothus ('Italian Skies', 'Concha', 'Puget Blue', 'Skylark'...), a spring-flowering broom, or Oleanders (Nerium Oleander 'Soleil Levant' or 'Provence'). Its good tolerance to salt allows for coastal exposure, facing wind and spray.