Callistemon salignus
Callistemon salignus is a bottlebrush that is probably the least spectacular of the bottlebrushes when in flower. The reason why I’ve included it here is because it has so many other special qualities. It grows fairly vigorously, it is very drought tolerant, can be grown in heavy soils that don’t drain very well and the new growth is a dark red colour that can make the plant quite attractive when putting on new growth.
Callistemon salignus grows into a tree of up to 15m or can easily be pruned into quite an attractive hedge. I’ve just planted a line of these along my fence line to grow as a hedge. I chose this plant particularly for this purpose because of the qualities mentioned above. The plants have been in the ground now for about 2 ½ years now and most have already grown to over 2m. I’ve also been tip pruning them periodically as well so that they bush out nicely into a hedge.
This will eventually grow into a dense hedge and windbreak
The other thing about the position I’ve chosen for these trees is it’s along the northern boundary which means that these trees are my first line of defence when the strong hot northerly winds blow during summer. During the summer just gone we had 5 days in a row when the temperature was 40 – 45 C and another day that was 46 C with strong hot winds up to 40kts. These trees just took it in their stride and showed no signs of stress whatsoever.
Callistemon Salignus Great Balls of Fire
Callistemon Salignus also comes in a smaller variety as well that grows to about 1-2m. This one is great for a small hedge and for some reason you rarely see it in nurseries. It’s called “Great Balls of Fire” and has the same red appearance as the tree when putting on new growth. It is well and truly worth a try for someone who was to grow a low, tough, drought tolerant hedge.
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8 Responses to Callistemon salignus
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Callistemon Salignus Great Balls of Fire
I would like to plant these along the fence to create a hedge as well, but I have a pond close by, will they cause any problems with leaves dropping etc
Leaves shouldn’t be an issue. They will drop small amounts but not like a eucalypt. If you were growing the tree version, roots near a pond may be an issue as they are very good at seeking out moisture. I’m not sure about Great Balls of Fire though as it is a smaller shrub. What distance is your pond from the proposed hedge?
I want to plant a visual screen along my southern boundary fence – Council requires us to plant something that will attain 5m height (tree replacement) but I do not want too wide a coverage to create too much shade on our backyard. Would these be suitable? Sue
If you’re planting your southern boundary shade shouldn’t be a problem. Callistemon Salignus will bush out into a canopy as it grows larger but it can also be pruned to shape and hedged. It depends on the final effect you’re after and how much work you want maintaining/pruning it.
I’ve found an excellent screen is Bamboo. That’s the clumping from of course, not the type with runners which is highly invasive. I use Bambusa Oldhamii. This makes an excellent, tall, narrow screen. It grows fairly quickly and does well in my Melbourne climate. It’s main downfall though, is it not cheap to buy and does require a little extra water through summer for maximum growth.
I am wanting to plant a hedge screen of Callistemon salingus along our property. How far apart should I plant each tree
Hi Viv, I’ve planted mine about a metre apart which is a lot closer than they really need to be. You could plant them about 2m apart and still get a dense hedge. Their growth habit can be a little variable though so if you plant them too far apart you may end up with the old gap or two. It all depends how long your hedge is, how many plants you’re willing to buy and how long you’re willing to wait for the gaps to close up. My gaps closed up fairly densely in about 3 years.
I have a north facing steep rocky volcanic hillside that gets terrible hot winds in a 27″ annual rainfall with frosts down to -3 many times a winter
Would salignus revel in this position do you think?
I would like to create some taller shade that stock can enjoy eventually
Callistemon Salignus might survive in these conditions but it probably wouldn’t thrive. I’d look at planting some local species of Eucalypt that are reasonably hardy and fast growing. You might also want to select a species that you can coppice (or one that will bush out) so as they get older you can use some of them as a wind break as well. Therefore you could plant a double row on the windward side so as they mature you could coppice for a wind break with taller trees behind for shade.