Weeping bottlebrush tree

How to identify a weeping bottlebrush

Look for long, drooping branches hung with narrow leaves 3 to 7 cm long and 3 to 7 mm wide, often with one edge straighter than the other. In spring the branch ends carry bright red brushes 4 to 10 cm long, and the red stamens are joined at the base and fall as one unit. Small, cup-shaped woody capsules about 5 to 6 mm across follow along the stems. The bark is dark and furrowed. Willow bottlebrush looks similar but has papery, peeling bark and creamy white to yellow brushes.

Growing a weeping bottlebrush in Brisbane

This is a local native that grows naturally along creeks and rivers through much of Queensland, including the Brisbane area. In the wild it lives beside watercourses, so it does best with a reliable water supply, but once established it handles long dry spells. It likes medium to heavy soils, tolerates less than perfect drainage and flowers best in full sun. Keep the species well away from sewer lines; the smaller named forms suit courtyards and narrow beds.

What to watch out for

Bottlebrush roots go looking for water. Urban Utilities advises against planting water-seeking bottlebrushes near sewer pipes, and they are known to grow into old, leaking terracotta lines, so plant the full-size species at least 3 metres from pipes. Burke's Backyard notes they pose little risk to a house built on a slab.

Pruning and care

Give it a feed after flowering each year and water through long dry spells while young. Pruning is optional. A light trim of the spent brushes just after flowering keeps it tidy, but heavy pruning can spoil the natural weeping shape of the weeping forms. The named cultivars are propagated from cuttings because seedlings do not come true to type. If a large old tree needs work over a roof or fence, that is a job for an arborist.

• Tree pruning
• Tree removal
• Stump grinding