Gabes — Australian BottleBrush Plant Question

[tex]

Hi Gabes,

Many authorities call the Australian bottlebrush plant indestructible — but I'm wondering if that's only valid in Australia. My brother has one growing in his yard, and it has done well for a couple of years. Our last cold spell (a few weeks ago) had 2 nights in a row with temps of-11 and -10 degrees C, and the temperature didn't get above freezing during the day. A few days later the leaves began to lose their color and then they turned brown. And even though we've had relatively warm temperatures since then, the leaves have pretty much all turned brown during the few weeks since the freeze.

During the previous couple of years I don't believe the temps ever got below about -6 or -7 degrees C, but that didn't faze it — the leaves remained green.

So I'm wondering — do you have any idea whether it's dead, or will it eventually shed the leaves and replace them with new leaves? It appears to be dead. I'm thinking it doesn't get as cold in Australia, at least not where these things normally grow, so maybe they never evolved the ability to become dormant, or otherwise recover from a freeze. The link below shows a reasonably close match but I'm not sure if this is the same variety or not. This plant (the one growing here in Texas) has much broader leaves than I see on most of the bottlebrush plants shown in photos on the Internet. And the branches continue to grow out the tip past the blooms It seems to bloom at random times during the year. In fact it was trying to bloom when the cold spell blew through.

So I reckon my main questions are: Does it ever get this cold in Australia? Have you ever seen one freeze? Did that kill it?

http://maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com/Na ... ant-585621

Thanks for any light you can shed on my questions. If you haven't had any experience with them in cold weather, please don't waste any time trying to find out. I was just curious.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

Most Bottle brush are frost tolerant
one or two types are 'frost tender' and one are two that are not frost tolerant at all

in the colder temps our frosty lows - or even when there is light sleetish snow it would not be below -5C
so maybe the two nights of -10C might have been a bit too much

it might come back - once the temps warm up a bit - if you can keep the soil warm around the roots until the end of winter
at the end of winter give it a good prune, and if your brother can procure some fertiliser that is specialised for aussie natives.

https://www.anbg.gov.au/callistemon/

this forum has some fellow Texan based USA people with similar issues back in 2010
http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions ... eze-damage

the post about brown leaves was mid to late Feb and in late March there was signs of life again!!

[tex]

Interesting comments on that discussion forum. I reckon we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Thanks, Gabes.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

yes the comments sounded identical to your current situation

chuffed to know that our aussie natives are grown elsewhere! (and that many people like them)
I have a couple of good photos of the bottle brush flowers that I will email to you..

[tex]

Thanks,
Tex