Callistemon 'Little John'
Dwarf bottlebrush
Garden origin; genus native to eastern and southeastern Australia
Overview
Callistemon 'Little John' is a dwarf evergreen shrub reaching 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) tall and 3-5 feet (0.9-1.5 m) wide, forming a dense mound without pruning. Shoots extend 3-6 inches (8-15 cm) per year, against 24-36 inches (60-90 cm) per year on tree forms such as Callistemon viminalis, which reaches 15-25 feet (4.5-8 m). Leaves are narrow and lance-shaped, 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) long and 0.2-0.3 inch (5-8 mm) wide, grey-green to blue-green, and spaced 0.2-0.4 inch (5-10 mm) apart along the stem, so the canopy stays closed to ground level. Flower spikes are cylindrical, 2-3 inches (5-8 cm) long and 1.5 inches (4 cm) across, formed from deep blood-red stamens, about half the length of the 4-6 inch (10-15 cm) spikes of C. viminalis. New growth emerges bronze-red and hardens to grey-green over 4-6 weeks. Woody capsules 0.2 inch (5 mm) wide stay on the stems for 3-5 years. Plants take 25F (-4C) with tip damage and die back to the crown below 15F (-9C). Leaves yellow between the veins in soil above pH 7.5, and plants given less than 4 hours of sun open at the base and flower only on the outer canopy.
Native Range
Callistemon 'Little John' is a cultivar of garden origin with no wild distribution, selected in Australia and listed with the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority. The genus Callistemon spp. is native to eastern and southeastern Australia, where species grow along watercourses, on swamp margins, and in sandstone heath. The cultivar is grown across Australia, the southern United States from California to Florida, and in Mediterranean Europe.Suggested Uses
Planted at 3-4 foot (0.9-1.2 m) spacing as a low hedge, in mass plantings on median strips and commercial verges, and in mixed borders across Australia, California, Texas, and Florida. Grown in containers of 7 gallons (26 L) or larger, where plants hold their form for 6-8 years before the root ball fills. Growth of 3-6 inches (8-15 cm) per year means gaps in a new planting close over 3-4 years rather than in one season.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height2' - 3'
Width/Spread3' - 5'
Reaches mature size in approximately 5 years
Colors
Bloom Information
The main flush runs 4-6 weeks in late spring and early summer, May and June in USDA zones 8b-11 of the Northern Hemisphere and October and November in Australia. A second flush carrying 20-40 percent as many spikes follows in early autumn on shoots that completed a summer growth flush. Individual spikes hold color 10-14 days before the stamens drop. Flowering falls away for one season after cuts into wood older than three years.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Grey-green to blue-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Water weekly through the first two summers, then every 2-3 weeks; established plants tolerate 4-6 weeks without water and hold their leaves. Free-draining soil at pH 5.5-7.5 suits the cultivar, and interveinal yellowing on new growth above pH 7.5 is corrected with chelated iron at 0.5 ounce per 10 square feet (15 g per square meter) in spring. Root rot from Phytophthora cinnamomi kills plants in 2-4 weeks in soil that stays saturated above 68F (20C), and raised beds 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) high extend life on clay. Growth stops below 50F (10C), shoot tips are damaged at 25F (-4C), and plants die to the crown below 15F (-9C), regrowing from the base in zone 8b. Scale insects and mealybugs colonize the dense interior and are followed by sooty mold on the leaves beneath them. Nitrogen at 1 ounce per square yard (30 g per square meter) in early spring, in a low-phosphorus formulation, carries the annual growth flush.Pruning
The mounded form holds without pruning for 5-8 years, and spent spikes are cut back by 2-4 inches (5-8 cm) after each flush where the woody capsules are not wanted. Cuts into leafless wood more than three years old regenerate in about half of attempts, and the remaining stubs die back to the crown. Shearing the whole plant by 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) in early summer after the main flush holds a formal outline and removes the autumn flush. Plants left uncut for 8-10 years open at the center, with flowering on the outer 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) of growth.Pruning Schedule
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
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D
summer
Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 7 gallons