Callistemon viminalis 'Captain Cook'

Captain Cook Weeping Bottlebrush

Botanical Name: Callistemon viminalis ‘Captain Cook’
Family: Myrtaceae
Origin: Australia (Eastern Australia; cultivar selection)
Plant Type: Evergreen shrub to small tree (weeping habit)

Overview

Exceptionally well suited to Adelaide’s Mediterranean climate, Callistemon viminalis ‘Captain Cook’ is a compact, gracefully weeping bottlebrush prized for its vivid red flower spikes and excellent toughness. Flowering heavily in spring, with repeat blooms often appearing through summer and autumn, it provides reliable colour, movement and wildlife value across South Australian gardens. The narrow green foliage forms an elegant cascading canopy and releases a light, fresh aroma when crushed. Highly adaptable, drought tolerant once established and tolerant of heat, wind and coastal exposure, ‘Captain Cook’ is ideal as a feature tree, informal screen or large shrub for low-maintenance and native landscapes.

Key Features

• Mature Size: 3–5 m H × 2–4 m W (can be maintained smaller with pruning)
• Growth Rate: 30–60 cm per year under good conditions
• Foliage: Narrow, mid-green evergreen leaves with a soft weeping habit; new growth may show light bronze or coppery tints
• Flowers: Bright red cylindrical bottlebrush blooms in spring, often with repeat flowering in summer–autumn
  
• Fragrance: Flowers not strongly fragrant; foliage lightly aromatic when crushed
• Seasonal Interest: Evergreen structure year-round with a strong spring flowering display and intermittent colour through warmer months
• Wildlife Value: Highly attractive to bees, butterflies and nectar-feeding birds, particularly honeyeaters
• Tolerance: Drought tolerant once established; excellent heat and wind tolerance; coastal tolerant (first- and second-line); frost hardy; tolerant of short periods of wet soil
• Planting Density: Feature or specimen planting: 1 plant per 9–16 m² (3–4 m apart). Informal screen or hedge: 2–3 m apart
• Pet Friendly: Generally considered non-toxic

Where It Works Best

• Sunlight: Full sun to light part shade (best flowering and form in full sun)
• Soil: Well-drained sandy, loamy or clay soils; highly adaptable and tolerant of heavier soils if not waterlogged
• Water Needs: Establishment: 2 deep soaks/week for 8–12 weeks. Established: deep soak every 10–14 days in summer; little to no water needed in winter
• Maintenance: Very low; prune lightly after flowering to maintain shape and encourage repeat blooms; mulch annually; light native fertiliser in spring if desired
• Lifespan: 25–40+ years
• Climate Zones: Ideal for Mediterranean and temperate SA — Adelaide Plains, coastal suburbs, Fleurieu Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula
• Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline; tolerates mildly acidic soils

Landscape & Design Ideas

• Feature tree or large shrub in native and coastal gardens
• Informal screening or windbreak with wildlife value
• Street tree or verge planting in council-friendly native schemes
• Mixed native borders with Grevillea, Westringia, Lomandra and Eremophila
• Waterwise landscapes requiring colour, structure and bird attraction

Why You Will Love It

‘Captain Cook’ is a classic Australian native that thrives in Adelaide’s heat, wind and dry conditions while delivering spectacular red flowers and year-round greenery. Tough, adaptable and loved by birds, it’s a low-maintenance choice that brings colour, movement and life to South Australian gardens.