CALLISTEMON citrinus 'Splendens'

Evergreen shrub coming from Australia. It is very popular and particularly used in the Italian gardens for its distinctive scarlet-red flowering occurring several times from spring to autumn. Inflorescences are composed by a multitude of long and red stamens looking like a toothbrush, hence the English name "bottle brush''. Once established it tolerates drought and salinity, while frosts may damage the plant: in colder areas it can be grown in pots which will be sheltered in the winter. It reaches an height of 4 meters and it can be used as a single specimen or to create thick hedges. Leaves, if crushed between fingers, give off a pleasant citrus fragrance.

Although it tolerates drought, it could be necessary to irrigate this plant in the summer, above all if it's grown in pot or in case of wilting. Sunny expositions improve the blooming. It needs to shorten branches after each cycle of blooming in order to obtain a pleasant appearance: this operation will encourage the branching, the production of a new foliage and a following more abundant blooming.