On 6/27/2009 3:44 AM, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Jun 26, 8:14 am, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 6/26/2009 2:07 AM, Pete L wrote:

We live in Margate, UK. About 2 mins walk from the sea so get very few
frosts. We have a bottle brush in a pot and is about 18 ins high. My
question - when the red 'brush' dies down on a branch there is further
growth of leaves above. Should these leaves be cut off or will a new
brush appear?
I had bottle brush in my previous home. This was Calleistemon citrinus
(also known as C. lanceolatus), not a species of Melaleuca. After
flowering, a branch would indeed grow longer. In a later season, that
branch would flower again. Since the seeds will remain attached to the
branch for a long time, I would occasionally have several bands of seeds
along the same branch.

So is that "bad" or "good"?

For the plant, it's okay. Whether it's aesthetically "bad" or "good" is
up to you.

On the other hand, if you cut the branch (even just the tip), the plant
will become more bushy.


David, as you know, I'm also in SoCal, but coastal, so milder than
your mini-climate. My bottle brush has gone ape; sprawling at the
corner of the house. Few weeks ago, I cut off low-lying branches to
give the plant a bit of a trunk and make it look neater. What will
be the long-range results?

I've seen Callistemon citrinus (spelled incorrectly in my prior post)
pruned to grow like a small tree. I don't like that appearance, but
(again) that's a matter of taste. (De gustibus non est desputandum.)

If you like the tree form, you might have to remove shoots from along
the "trunk" now and then. You should stake it because the trunk will
take some time to become sturdy. You might also want to keep the top
trimmed so that it does not become top-heavy and break during Santa Anna
winds. Just don't trim so much that you prevent flowering.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary