Callistemon Red Rocket - 20cm Pot

Callistemon ‘Red Rocket’ is an attractive Australian native shrub grown for its brilliant red new growth and contrasting dark green foliage. Each flush of fresh growth brings a burst of colour to the garden, making it an excellent choice for adding year-round foliage interest.

With its naturally dense, rounded growth habit, ‘Red Rocket’ is particularly well suited to low hedging, informal screening and feature planting. Left unpruned, it forms a colourful, bushy shrub, while regular trimming creates a neat, formal hedge with vibrant red foliage.

In spring, red bottlebrush flowers provide additional seasonal interest, complementing the colourful new growth.

Hardy, adaptable and low maintenance, ‘Red Rocket’ tolerates a wide range of soil conditions and grows well in full sun to light shade. Its compact size makes it suitable for smaller gardens, courtyards and decorative containers.

Mature size: approximately 1–1.5 metres high × 1–1.5 metres wide

Care & Growing Tips
Plant in full sun to part shade. ‘Red Rocket’ adapts to a wide range of soil types, including sandy, loamy and clay soils, and tolerates both relatively dry and moderately wet conditions.

Water regularly during establishment to encourage a strong root system. Once established, this hardy shrub tolerates periods of dryness, although occasional deep watering during extended hot weather will help maintain healthy growth.

Lightly prune once or twice a year to encourage dense, compact growth and fresh flushes of vibrant red foliage. Regular trimming is particularly beneficial when growing ‘Red Rocket’ as a formal hedge.

For informal screening, allow the plant to develop its natural rounded shape, trimming only as needed to maintain its size.

Apply a slow-release fertiliser suitable for Australian native plants in spring to support healthy foliage growth.

‘Red Rocket’ tolerates light frost and is well suited to Melbourne's varied growing conditions.

Ideal for
— Formal and informal hedging
— Low screening and garden borders
— Australian native gardens
— Colourful foliage contrast
— Courtyards and smaller gardens
— Pots and decorative containers
— Poolside landscaping
— Coastal gardens
— Low-maintenance landscapes
— Feature planting
— Topiary and shaped shrubs
— Adding year-round foliage colour