CALLISTEMON. Bottlebrush. Australia, widespread. Showy shrubs and trees of the myrtle family, with attractive bark and generally narrow, leathery leaves. Their best-known feature is their dense brushes of colorful blossoms, of which the long stamens are the most conspicuous portion, along the stems. Most are easily pruned to develop shapely pale trunks, as well as sheared for hedges and screens. Except for their variable hardiness to cold, they seem nearly indestructible and are regularly subjected to a wide range of soils, exposures and watering regimes. Hardiness varies.

‘King’s Park Special‘. A hybrid of C. citrinus and C. viminalis, growing as a nearly round shrub to 10-15’. It has narrow slightly grey-green leaves, bronze-tinted in new growth and about 3" long. Broad 4" clusters of bright red flowers grace the plant in spring. This is a neat, clean-looking shrub for larger gardens, also amenable (for those of you who would do such a thing to a perfectly good shrub) to training as a patio tree. Evidently hardy to 20^oF., perhaps less.

‘Little John’. A showy dwarf cultivar. It grows round and dense, not much over 3’ tall. The branches are neatly lined with short, narrow, bright bluish green leaves. In summer they are tipped by striking blood red brushes. The main drawback of this plant, except in southern California, is its tenderness to cold. The leaves have been damaged at 25^oF.

‘Mauve Mist’. This is one of the taller selections, varying from 6' to over 10' according to cultural conditions. It is a dense, round shrub with foliage much like that of C. citrinus, very silky in new growth. In summer it covers itself with mauve pink blossoms.

‘Perth Pink’. This is another dense, roundish shrub growing about 10' tall. It has narrow, shining leaves and bears masses of clear pink brushes in summer.