These garnet red blooms first caught my eye in a Harlingen parking lot. It was a dreary January day, so I felt compelled to pull in and get a closer look. What a surprise to find Dwarf Bottlebrush! I'd grown (and loved) bottlebrush for decades but didn't know there was a dwarf cultivar. This hedge is located at the southeast corner of Ed Carey and Business 77. It stands at about 3 feet tall and 3 or 4 feet wide. I would bet that it has never received any TLC, yet it thrives. It's a drought-resistant plant that performs wonderfully in the Rio Grande Valley.
The day I shot these photos, bees were really working these blooms. I imagine hummingbirds love them too. I've watched this planting for over five years now . . . guess it's time for me to add it to my garden.
5 comments:
Those are attractive blooms. I didn't know there was a dwarf bottlebrush either. It sounds as if this is a really tough plant and doesn't require much in the way of care.
It was good to come across your post tonight to see some colour - we are having more snow here.
I have 'Little John' dwarf bottlebrush in my garden too. Mine aren't as big as yours yet, but they bloom in winter too. I speculated recently that they bloom in Austin's winter because it's spring right now in their native Australia. ;-)
I also have 'Little John' and it has hardly grown at all in the past two years, but no matter, it puts out gorgeous blooms in spring and summer here in AZ.
Aiyana
What a lovely dwarf bottlebrush in bloom! I have small bottlebrush plant from cutting, and looking forward to it first bloom
During a visit with my mother in Phoenix, I got to enjoy 'Little John' bottlebrush blooming all over her neighborhood - and the hummingbirds feeding off them. From its lush look, you'd never guess it's a water-wise plant.
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