Search
Close this search box.

Dwarf bottlebrush

Callistemon ‘Little John’

Description

While we prefer to recommend California native plants whenever possible, Dwarf bottlebrush is a popular choice for Mediterranean style gardens that may receive more water than many California native plants prefer. Hummingbirds will visit the blooms for nectar. Depending on the situation, a few California native plants to consider using instead of Little John bottlebrush include Eve Case coffeeberry, white sage, Santa Rosa island buckwheat, brittlebush, chuparosa, and creeping barberry.

Little John bottlebrush is a compact evergreen shrub with pale bluish-green leaves and dark scarlet-red flowers. This is a slow to moderate growing cultivar with a mounding form, slowly growing 4-5 ft. tall and as wide after several years.

This bottlebrush cultivar has become one of the most popular and commonly used compact plants in the Inland Empire. It is sometimes used as a small clipped hedge. It attracts large numbers of honey bees when in bloom.

Plant Type: Shrub
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Mounding, Compact
Growth Rate: Slow, Moderate
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: Red
Flower Season: Spring
Soil Adaptations: Silt, Loam, Clay, Calcareous soil
Exposure Adaptations: Wind, Heat, Frost, Aridity, All day sun
Function: Attracts bees, Wildlife value, Hedge, Hummingbird plant, Small spaces, Flowering accent plant, Borders
Height: 4 ft. – 5 ft.
Width: 10 ft.

Set your preferred view

Choose between a list or map view of all signs found in our waterwise garden and park.

Welcome to the Waterwise Garden Digital Tour

This is a digital registry created to offer further information on the physical signs in our waterwise garden and park premises.

Would you like a few tips on how to use this tool?

Move around

Travel to different sections of our garden and park premises by using the horizontal scrollbar at the top.

Locate your sign​

Using the map view, you can preview what each specific sign is about by tapping on the plus icon.

Refer back to these tips

You can view these tips at any time by tapping the Help link in the top left.