I assume you're talking about Australian Callistemons. They can grow pretty fast under good conditions but can be trimmed. There are species which grow into medium sized trees which dont hang as much as some others. I'm not sure if the foliage and bark are toxic but birds love the flowers and the trunks are great for growing orchids and epiphytes.

Here is a link that might be useful: callistemon info

I have a few different species. I have the "normal" one which, in less than 4 years, has grown from a 3 ft plant to 12 ft tall. It has the usual red brushes.

I also have the weeping type, which is lovely, and is almost as fast growing as the normal.

I have a "spiny" type that is still in a one gal, going to plant it out in spring. ALso have a Pink form ditto.

I think they are very attractive, and since they are hardy here they make a great flowering tree/shrub

Do you know the species of the fast growing red one? I want to grow it mostly indoors (when it's not warm enough for outside) to use as a play gym for my lovebirds.

having kept lovebirds I think I can safely say that thats not going to work out. The lovebirds will strip all the leaves and bark and chew up all the soft tips (they are pretty destructive little things), eventually killing the plant. A safer bet would be to grow some outside and bring some cut branches inside for them to destroy.

I can't believe I forgot about that! Lol. I'd cut off a branch then and make a play gym.

We used to have Callistemon viminalis, the largest species. It grows quite gast but can get big. I don't know about the US but over here there are a lot of cultivars to choose from depending on what type of plant you want and what colours you like. Some dont have seeds which is no good if you wanted to give them to birds. "harkness" is popular because it has no seed capsules (so more attractive) and is very floriferous.

Here is a link that might be useful: bottlebrush info

Make some perches for your birds, they love Bottlebrush to chew, it keeps them happy for days on end, just make sure you wash any pollution off the bark first.

Good luck and post a report please. :-)

Does anyone know if Callistemon Citrinus can be grown in containers in zone 6. I am very succesful with Oleander, I store them in my basement in the winter. I would love to try Bottlebrush, and Bird of Paradise.

What do you think?

Any help would be really appreciated!
Thanks,
Joe

Callistemon viminalis sounds like a good choice because I can just keep pruning it, use the cuttings for a gym and branches and it'll just keep getting fuller. Now I have to find one.

Are you sure that Callistemon viminalis is the largest?

In answer to oleander Joe, I would say Callistemon is not hardy in NY area esp. in a container. I had one in England where the winters, though long, are not esp cold ( and getting warmer). Zone 8. It only lived for 3 years. In Australia it would only get a touch of light frost and winters there are typically very dry.

As to the tallest one, it's undoubtedly C. salignus, which I have seen as an 80 ft tree in coastal swamps of New South Wales. But that and E. viminalis (to 20 ft) are probably the least hardy. Most hardy are probably C. pityoides and C. viridiflorus, but both small and not very ornamental. C. citrinus is colorful and probably somewhere in between in hardiness.

I was thinking I'd grow C. v. (too lazy to write it out) in a pot and put a Woodlander's hardy in the ground and get it super protected in the winter. The other one would be coming inside.

Could bringing it inside work? I tried that with manzanitas and they wouldn't even survive outside in the dry summer. I would LOVE to have had that work!