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Callistemon bush
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Posted by greenclaws England UKzone8a (My Page) on Tue, Jun 24, 08 at 7:41
Have a C Citrinus which gets put into a frost free g/h for the winter. Has flowered several times for me in this pot. Thought it had died last yr, all leaves and stems crisped and died off, so I cut it back to stump ready to throw out. It sat around in the torrential rain we had last summer and sprouted forth!! Would it be better planted in ground or kept potted do you think? We are high up and exposed. What conditions would best suit it please? So glad its survived, would hate to loose it as it's a fond reminder of past Oz holidays. Guess we could always return again to refresh my mind though, now there's a thought!
Gill.
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Callistemon bush
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| Is that a photo of said shrub? It doesn't look like a Callistemon at all... What do the flowers look like? I'm tempted to say Backhousia citriodora, but the leaves aren't opposite....? |
RE: Callistemon bush
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Jim, hello there. Yes, 'tis it, the one and the same. Here's a pic of one of it's flowers back in July 2005. I've no longer got the tag, but it did say C Citrinus as that was what I wanted to buy...although I realise that's no proof of what I have in fact got!!!!
Thanks, look forward to hearing from you again.
Gill.
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RE: Callistemon bush
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| Most Calliestemon are hardy plants and will adapt to a wide range os soil conditions. As long as you don't plant it in permanent boggy / low oxygen conditions then I would think it would do fine. Callistemon generally gave tough leathery leaves so I would think frost would do it any permanent damage either. As you have already seen it will grow back from the stump even if the frost did damage it. Not sure how snow would effect them however. Do you have winter snow at you location in the UK? |
RE: Callistemon bush
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Hello Greg, yes it does snow here in the Staffs Moorlands area. Not as much as it used to though, the days of the village school being closed, blocked roads that had to be ploughed out by the nearby quarries face shovels are distant memories, as are the snowmen and igloos the kids used to build!!
Will have to harden it off first real well I guess as the new growth in the g/h is very soft and almost silky to the touch. Its going to be placed outside from now on instead of being wrapped in cotton wool!!
Thank you, Gill. |
RE: Callistemon bush
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| I stand corrected! I've never grown a Callistemon from seed before, that juvenile foliage is wonderful, isn't it? Greg's spot on, Callistemons are very tough plants. They're often used as street trees in Australia because they're resiliance when it comes to harsh conditions. A lot of Callistemon sp. in their natural habitat grow along creeks and near water courses, so semi-prolonged periods of bogginess shouldn't be too much for them. They by no means need boggy conditions to thrive though. Hardening it off good and proper before you plant it out is a good idea. It might even be worthwhile potting it on and getting another year's growth out of it before you transplant it. With the colder conditions and shorter summers over there the tree might be more likely to take to the conditions if it's a bit bigger before planting it out. |
RE: Callistemon bush
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Jim hello again. Seems like it is a 'Bottle Brush' after all then!! Whatever it is, I like it, so that's all that counts eh? Coincidentally we saw some only the other night on a gardening programme, lots of different types/colours. These were on display at a Garden Show in Birmingham, but the grower said she had them outdoors in the South of the UK. I duly placed mine outside in the hope that the growth will toughen up over this so called UK summer we are having..its raining today, sigh. The pot it's currently in is 15in in height by 13 inches square and the whole plant is now just over 2ft tall having put on growth since the pic above was taken back in Sept last year. It doesn't look as if it will flower this year as it's still recovering from the brink of death so it has it's mind set on a full recovery first.
Cheers, Gill. |
RE: Callistemon bush
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- Posted by popi NSW Aust (My Page) on
Thu, Jul 3, 08 at 4:18
| Hello Gill I am familiar with this plant in my plodding around the bush, here on the East coast of NSW. This is indeed a common plant and is hardy and tough. I have found it in rather boggy soil. I have also had it popping up in my garden from time to time. It is lovely though, with its citrus leaves, when you crush them. I can understand why you want yours to do well, seeing you have been privileged enough to travel to our oasis down here in the southern hemisphere! I have many callistemon in my garden, and they are brilliant plants for bringing the birds, native ones of course. I wonder if your English birds would like it. I wish your plant well, I hope it survives..perhaps if you place it near a sunny wall where it could bask in the sun...if you ever get any !! Regards
Popi |
RE: Callistemon bush
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Hello Popi. If it can be found in its native country in boggy places then the good old UK should suit it fine in that respect!! Since I put it outside it has had plenty of wind and rain and seems to be doing ok!! I was just so reluctant to damage it any more after it went through that period of being almost dead. When I pruned it back the branches they were just dry/dead twigs, it went right back to a stump of around 3inches high, ready to go to the tip on our next visit, it got put aside as the weather was against any gardening activities. It was later that year in the autumn that I noticed it had sprouted....after the torrential downpours of our so called summer of 2007....perhaps that was what it was short of...a good loooong cool drink! It really does seem to be a real survivor.
Yes, we do consider ourselves very fortunate to have visited Oz twice so far. We are totally blown away by the place. Another trip is planned, hopefully for 2009, but we are having a dilemma on where exactly to visit this time!!!
Cheers, Gill. |
RE: Callistemon bush
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- Posted by pos02 NSW Aust (My Page) on
Wed, Jul 30, 08 at 21:47
Callistemons natuarally grown along creek lines in forest areas, and can tolerate quite poorly drained soils. Bear in mind however that due to our erratic rainfall, they are never really standing in moist soil all the time. As stated above, they are often grown along streets (where soil moisture is rather low). The citrinus you have is one of the hardier ones, so you shouldn't have too many problems. You might want to protect it from the snow however - I don't think they naturally grow in snow-prone areas. In any event, the pot you currently have it in is too small. If you want it in a pot, I would go for a much larger pot.
By the way, there are so many beautiful places in Australia, so it doesn't really matter where you go - just go out and see the bushland however. |
RE: Callistemon bush
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- Posted by hank vic aust (My Page) on
Sat, Aug 23, 08 at 7:35
| Hi Gill, From the photo I reckon its a Callistemon citrinus variety called "Endeavour". Very tough, easy to propagate from cuttings and can produce a good hedge up to 2 metres high. I have got more than 60 growing in our garden here in Victoria Australia - most grown from cuttings. As an expatriate Pom I can understand how you hunger for Australia. I am lucky I married an Australian and have lived here permanently for over 30 years. |
RE: Callistemon bush
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Hi there, I'm pleased to report said plant is thriving! It has certainly had a good old watering this year as we have had a lot of rain....again! I've just this week noticed that it has flower buds on a couple of stems. I dont expect them to develop now as its a bit late in the season, but hopefully it will spring back into life next year.
Hank, thanks for the name suggestion, like you say it does seem a tough customer as it was 99.9% dead at one point!! We certainly do hunger for Australia and cant wait to come over again, nothing planned for definite...yet!
Gill. |
RE: Callistemon bush
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Well done that's a fantastic effort.
My Callistemons citrinus is flowering at present.
Strange that maybe your plant thinks its still in Australia.
Post some pics in your Spring when it does flower. Mary-Anne |
RE: Callistemon bush
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| see my update for recent news via the link below |
Here is a link that might be useful: confused callistemon
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