I thought I had already dedicated a blog post to this steadfast native shrub but have just realised it has featured a few times but hasn’t been praised individually yet. Very strange as this is a staple in many of my screening plantings or used as a feature shrub, especially as it will quite happily grow and flower in part shade. So here we have it the overshadowing sibling to Calothamnus quadrifidus ‘Grey’.

This medium to large shrub originates from Western Australia where it can sometimes be found growing in very wet conditions, it does however prefer good drainage but is quite happy in a heavy clay soil.

In the image above you can see what a soft looking dense shrub it becomes, especially if it is given a light trim every year.

The flowers appear during the Winter months and are a deep red, the shrub flowers on old wood in the centre and they are one sided, giving it its common name of One sided Bottlebrush (however it isn’t closely related to the Bottle brushes).

For me the main attraction of this native shrub is the foliage. The soft grey branches are furry and upright quite similar to the Adenanthos sericeus BUT this plant doesn’t die at the first hint of humidity in the air! making it a wonderful textural highlight for us gardeners on the east coast.

In fact it is so hardy that it can survive temporary inundation to the root zone, what a champion. Anyway I always think I am growing it purely for the foliage but then it flowers and takes my breath away. The flowers are attractive to honey eaters and smaller birds which like to hide within the shrub.