Bottle Brush plant also known as Lemon Bottlebrush and Cheel in Hindi is a most sought after plant to landscape gardens. The botanical name is Callistemon viminalis and the plant belongs to family Myrtaceae.
Bottle brush plants are evergreen and native of Australia. They grow to a height of 50 feet outdoors and up to 4 feet indoors.
The dark green leaves are thin, pointed, and grows upwards with a lemony aroma. The most attractive part of the plant/tree is the flowers. Bloom time is from spring to summer, but I have seen the tree blooming throughout the year. The flowers are cylindrical spikes with flowers resembling the bottle brush bristles.
Each spike is around 4 – 5 inches long. The petals of the flowers are not noticeable. The stamens with the pollen tip of the filament are the parts of the flowers that can be seen. Yellow, Green, Orange, or White color flowers are common. The fruit is woody and contains tiny round seeds.
It’s also attractive to butterflies, bees, sun birds, and hummingbirds.
Propagation
Bottle brush plants are propagated by cuttings or by seeds. Take 3 inch stem tip cuttings during spring or early summer. Plant them in well drained soil: 2 parts potting mix and 1 part sand. Keep in shade until it roots. They are slow growing plant. Water the plant daily. Once the cuttings root, plant them under direct sun. Feed monthly with a potassium rich fertilizer. Prune the tree after flowering.
