Callistemon 'Captain Cook'

Callistemon viminalis ‘Captain Cook’, commonly known as Captain Cook Bottlebrush, is a compact Australian native shrub that produces masses of brilliant red bottlebrush flowers from spring, with further flowering often appearing through autumn. Its fine, narrow foliage and slightly weeping branches give it a soft, attractive shape, while the flowers are a favourite with nectar-feeding birds.

Growing to around 1.5–2 metres tall and approximately 1.5 metres wide, ‘Captain Cook’ forms a dense, bushy shrub that works beautifully as a feature plant, informal hedge or screen. It also responds well to pruning, making it a versatile choice for smaller gardens.

It prefers a sunny position and well-drained soil, although it is adaptable to a range of conditions once established. Water regularly while establishing and prune lightly after flowering to maintain a compact shape and encourage fresh growth. It is frost tolerant, although young plants can benefit from protection from heavy frosts while establishing.

At Navigators Nursery, we carefully select plants with our local conditions in mind, and ‘Captain Cook’ is a reliable Australian native choice for adding colour, structure and bird-attracting flowers to Ballarat gardens.