Callistemon pallidus 'Eleanor'

From Australia, this bright magenta bottlebrush is a selected form of the more cold-hardy species, and blooms May through June on arching branches of blue-green needled leaves. 6-8' T x 4-5' W, it will likely come back from the base if frozen out. A Xera Plants selection Minimum temperature: 10°F

Deep violet-red flowers, early and gorgeous, adorn this garden seedling selected by Paul Bonine of Xera Plants. An upright shrub with blue-leaved, arching branches, reaching 6 ft tall x 4 ft wide in 5 years. Full sun, well-drained soil, and little water once well established. Frost hardy in the Portland area for several years, with no damage at 12F, USDA zone 8. Resprouts from lower temperatures.

The purplest flowers on any hardy bottlebrush! This selection from a Portland, Oregon plant belonging to someone named Eleanor, endured a hard freeze in December 1998 that killed all of its friends and left it all alone. You can help it by adopting it and planting it alongside the other Callistemon species I offer. It is a semi-pendulous plant growing to about 4', and the purple flowers appear around late June in my garden. Although it has been sold as a form of C. pallidus in the past, and some nurseries seem to think it has white flowers, I can assure you the flowers are quite purple (mine is from the original source) and the plant is much less upright than the usual C. pallidus. Probably it is a hybrid with one parent as C. pallidus and the other some red-flowered thing. This is the bottlebrush the Turltes were singing about when they said, Eleanor, gee, I think you're swell, and you'd really do me well, you're my pride and joy, etc. It can handle temperatures down to about 10-15 °F, possibly somewhat lower in climates with hot summers. Thanks to Paul Bonine at Xera Plants for sharing this outstanding selection.