Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Lemon Bottle Brush
Lemon Bottle Brush is a large evergreen shrub with bright red bottlebrush flowers, heaviest in spring. Its leaves smell of lemon when you crush them. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees come to the flowers, and the shrub works as a screen, informal hedge or background plant. Give it full sun, soil that drains and deep, infrequent water.
Best for: a screen or large informal hedge in full sun, a background shrub for a border, and hummingbird plantings.
Set plants about 8 to 12 feet apart for a screen of evergreen leaves. It can also be sheared into a more formal hedge.
At 8 to 15 feet, it works at the back of a border behind lower flowering plants. It stays green all year.
The red bottlebrush flowers come heaviest in spring, with some more in fall. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees all visit them.
Alkaline Valley soil makes its leaves turn yellow, and soggy soil makes it worse. It needs soil that drains and iron when the leaves yellow.
- Dense screen8 ft apart, center to center
- Open screen or hedge12 ft apart, center to center
Water more often for the first couple of months while it roots. After that, give it deep, infrequent soaks, especially in summer, and less in winter. Never keep the soil soggy.
Leaves turn yellow in alkaline soil, and more so when the soil stays wet. Cut back on watering and add an iron product or a fertilizer for acid-loving plants.
Feed it in spring and summer. If yellow leaves show up, switch to a fertilizer made for acid-loving plants.
It can be sheared into a hedge or left loose as a large screen. Train young plants early if you want a more upright shape.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does lemon bottlebrush get?
As a shrub it grows about 8 to 15 feet tall and 12 to 20 feet wide, at a moderate pace. Give it room at the back of a bed or along a property line.
How far apart should I plant lemon bottlebrush for a screen?
Plant it about 8 to 12 feet apart for a screen. The Spacing tab on this page counts plants for your row.
Why are my bottlebrush leaves turning yellow?
Alkaline Valley soil keeps it from getting enough iron, and overwatering makes it worse. Water deep but less often, and add an iron product or an acid-plant fertilizer.
How often should I water lemon bottlebrush?
Once it is rooted, give it deep, infrequent soaks, especially in summer. Let the soil dry between waterings so it never stays wet.
Does lemon bottlebrush need full sun?
Yes. Plant it in full sun, where it flowers best.
When does lemon bottlebrush bloom?
It blooms mostly in spring, with some flowers in fall and a few scattered through the year. Deep, infrequent summer water keeps it healthy for the next bloom.
Why is it called lemon bottlebrush?
The leaves smell of lemon when you crush them. The red flower spikes look like bottle brushes.
Can I shear lemon bottlebrush into a hedge?
Yes. You can shear it into a hedge or leave it loose as a large informal screen, and training young plants early gives a more upright shape.
Does lemon bottlebrush attract hummingbirds?
Yes. Hummingbirds, butterflies and bees visit the flowers, so it is a good pick for a hummingbird planting.
How cold hardy is lemon bottlebrush?
It is rated hardy to somewhere between 10°F and 20°F, so a normal Valley winter does not hurt it.
When is the best time to plant lemon bottlebrush?
Fall is best, in October or November, and spring is the next best time. Avoid planting in the summer heat.
Is lemon bottlebrush the same as Melaleuca citrina?
Yes. It is now also listed as Melaleuca citrina. Callistemon citrinus is the older name.
Lemon Bottle Brush for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Lemon Bottle Brush is a big evergreen shrub known for red bottlebrush flowers and lemon-scented leaves. It is often used as a screen or background in full sun. Below is what to expect in a Valley yard, from size and spacing to water, yellow leaves, pruning and cold.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Lemon bottlebrush in Phoenix
Lemon bottlebrush is a large evergreen shrub for full sun. It needs soil that drains and deep, infrequent water. Watch for yellow leaves in alkaline soil.
Lemon bottlebrush as a privacy screen
Plant about 8 to 12 feet apart for a screen. It can be sheared into a hedge or left loose as a large informal screen.
Why is my bottlebrush turning yellow?
Alkaline soil keeps the plant from taking up iron, and soggy soil makes it worse. Water less often and add iron or an acid-plant fertilizer.
When does lemon bottlebrush bloom in Arizona?
It blooms mostly in spring, with some flowers in fall. The red brushes draw hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.
How big does lemon bottlebrush get?
As a shrub it reaches about 8 to 15 feet tall and 12 to 20 feet wide. It grows at a moderate pace.
Lemon bottlebrush vs dwarf bottlebrush
Lemon bottlebrush is a large shrub, 8 to 15 feet, used for screens. Dwarf bottlebrush stays about 3 feet tall and suits borders and pots. Both have red bottlebrush flowers.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.