Browse plants / Myrtaceae
Lemon bottlebrush Melaleuca pallida
Previously known as Callistemon pallidus
When it flowers
- January, not flowering
- February, not flowering
- March, not flowering
- April, not flowering
- May, not flowering
- June, not flowering
- July, not flowering
- August, not flowering
- September, not flowering
- October, flowering
- November, flowering
- December, flowering
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Cold-hardy bottlebrush with soft grey-green leaves and pale lemon brushes in late spring.
Until recently known as Callistemon pallidus. A tough, adaptable shrub from cool forests, with silky, pinkish new growth and creamy lemon flower spikes. One of the best bottlebrushes for cold and frosty gardens.
In the garden
- Attracts
- Birds and pollinating insects
- Flowers
- Cream to lemon bottlebrush spikes, 4 to 8 cm long.
- Leaves
- Narrow grey-green leaves; silky, pinkish new growth.
Growing conditions
- Climate
- Temperate and cool and alpine
- Light
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Sandy, loam and clay
- Drainage
- Copes with occasional wet
- Frost
- Hard frost
- Water
- Some dry spells
Planting and care
- Grown from
- Seed and cuttings
Planting
Sun or part shade; copes with frost, cold and damp soil.
Pruning
Cut just behind the spent flower spikes to keep it dense and bring on more flowers.
Care
Water through long dry spells. Usually trouble-free; prune out tips webbed by sawfly larvae.
Where it comes from
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Order
- Myrtales
- Native to
- New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria
- Natural range
- Cool forest and rocky creek banks from south-east Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania.
Where to buy
Widely available.
We don't have stockists listed for this plant yet. Local native nurseries are often the best place to ask.
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Further reading
- Melaleuca pallida on the Atlas of Living Australia (Atlas of Living Australia)
Native nurseries near you
An independent list of nurseries that specialise in Australian native plants. Nobody pays to be on it. Distances are approximate and in a straight line. Opening hours and stock vary, so check before you go.