Callistemon citrinus splendens

[Susie]

Welcome to WAB, Nicodemus

That sounds like a beauty and how amazing to find stick insects

[nicodemus]

Susie - I'll be in West Sussex (Lodsworth) tomorrow for a week seeing family!

If you're on facebook check me (Nick Broom)

[nightshade]

I cannot find room for a Bottlebrush tree yet but you may want to look here for some previous comments Aussie Bottlebrush

[Susie]

That's an interesting thread, Nightshade. I have never seen a sparrow on my plant (but they are all over the Angelica) but I did get a lot of bumble bees on it so it was worth growing.

[nightshade]

Just a thought, it must be a tongue thing, not every insect can cope with the blossoms perhaps

[garrardrj]

What is the best way to make new plants from this plant. Is it best to take cuttings in march/april or seed? How do you get seed from this plant? This is my first question on here.....i am approaching retirement!

[tufftie]

Originally Posted by naturegirl

The thing to remember with callistemons is to prune them correctly. As soon as it has flowered, cut back the shoots so that you do not get the seed pods forming as next year it will flower beyond these and you will soon end up with a straggly plant. Hard pruning at the correct time will have a lovely plant full of flowers for next season. Check your plant books!
Naturegirl

Can you describe this in a little more detail please - I am due to prune some rather soon!thanks

[nicodemus]

Dear Nature Girl

I have an abundance of crimson flower heads and want to be clear about the correct pruning after the flower heads finish - at present I also have a number of seed pods and wonder if this is due a lack of pruning last summer?

Should I prune each of the flower heads and also prune each of the seed opds when the time comes?

[Susie]

My plant is a standard so when it finished flowering I cut off all the spent flower heads and then just tidied up the plant so it retained it's shape. Easy.

[nicodemus]

I have taken my pruning shears to mine today - I decided to take off all of the 'spent' flower heads (which are already begining to show the beginings of seed heads) and also all of the older seed pods that hadn't progressed further into leaf - it seems as if, in previous years, it hadn't been given the correct pruning so I am stuck with some very 'aged' seed pods which I will live with but next year I'm hoping for an even better show - thanks for the useful tips !