I've had Calliandra eriophylla for a couple of years and have had jsut a little bit of freeze-back when the temp got low once, but no serious problem. I just throw a sheet over it on occasion. I doubt it needs a lot protection. Something I read said it can take temps over 0 degrees, with freeze damage in the teens.

Thanks Linda, that is exactly the information I needed to hear. I thought "Oh-Oh, I've made a mistake planting this plant." I'll cover it when it looks lik we're going to get a freeze, and as long as it doesn't die, I'm happy. The picture I have of the full plant is really pretty and hopefully, it will do better than the anthony waterer spirea it replaced.

From my understanding, it gets some frost damage at 25 degrees and can get killed at 20 degrees. If it gets below 20, just cover it up with a sheet or give it some protection and you will be all right.

Last winter, it got down in the teens in the Tucson area. I have not heard of anyone complaining that they lost them--so I assume that is good.

Good Luck

Here is a link that might be useful: Baja Fairy Duster

Oh, that link says Calliandra californica. So maybe what you have is a different species than my C. eriophylla. I've heard conflicting info on freezing even on eriophylla, but like I said it's just frozen back once, and was slow coming back to full size, but did fine after that.

Linda, they are two slightly different species. The C. eriophylla is hardier than the californica. The eriophylla is hardy to the mid teens is grows between 1,000-5,000 feet while the Californica is native to Baja California which doesn't get as cold.

The common names are usually the source of confusion. I don't know which species we are talking about, but we got both of them covered now.

Hope that helps

Here is a link that might be useful: Calliandra eriophylla

Hi Linda and AzDesertRat, After the two of you posted, I went to take a look at the variety of Fairy Duster I have. Alas, all the tag says is "Fairy Duster Hybrid." Bah! Perhaps its a Calliandra eriophylla because the tag did say it was hardy to 15 degrees. We've had a ton of rain here--over 4 inches in just one night--so now instead of worrying about freezes, I'm worried about the poor plant drowning.

I was just reading about a Calliandra hybrid that is a cross between C. peninsularis and C. eriophylla. In Landscape Plants for Dry Regions (Jones and Sacamano), they describe this hybrid as fairly cold hardy, but there apparently wasn't much of any supporting data available at the time of publication (2000). Maybe this is what you have?

I have two of those - one is huge and has survived the few spells of frost we have had. The smaller one does get frost bit and needs to be covered. But after I prune whatever was burnt (after the danger of frost has passed of course) it comes right back.

I have seen Calliandra californica as far north as the Los Angeles area. Temperatures rarely are below freezing & there is not much rain. I would protect this variety from frost & heavy rains. It sounds like your hybrid will fare better.

Just wanted to make an update to this post. Around Christmas, we received several days of 20 degree weather. I had my baja fairy duster heavily mulched, and I covered it with a blanket at night and put a large glass bottle filled with hot water beside it. It made it through this weather like a trooper, so I'm pleased. I can't wait to see what it does in the spring/summer.

Your fairy duster hybrid will be just fine with just a little mulch. Even if they freeze to the ground they grow back readily just like bird of paradise (Caesalpinia pulcherrima). Mine freeze every year. I don't even mulch them.