Callistemon viminalis
Common: Weeping bottlebrush
Family: Myrtaceae
Origin: Native to Australia
Sunset Zone: 8, 9, 12-24
Temperature: May be damaged by cold winters in Zones 8, 9, 12, 13
Light: Partial shade to full or reflected sun
Soil: Most soils, well drained. Prefers low alkalinity.
Water: Needs moderate water.
Give extra support and water in windy, dry areas until the plant establishes itself.
Landscape uses include informal espaliers; can be trained as small trees, used in formal hedges, or as informal screens or windbreaks. Shrub or small tree with gracefully pendulous branches, narrow crown.
Fast growing to 20-30 ft. with 15-ft. spread. Leaves narrow, light green, 6-in. long; leaves tinged bronze when young. Bright red brushes May-July; scattered bloom throughout year.
As tree, needs staking, thinning of surplus branches to prevent tangled, top-heavy growth.
Prone to iron chlorosis; worse on over-watered plants. Inclined toward sparseness because leaves tend to grow only at ends of long, hanging branches
It is important both for nesting birds and those that need resting spots and roosts on their fall or spring migrations through the desert.