| | Unusual plants: Callistemon |
 | | photo by pizzodisevo (Flickr) CC Callistemons are native to Australia and are usually listed as hardy only in zones 9 and 10 in reference books, but growers in the south know that many are hardy in zone 8 and a few in zone 7. |
 | | Callistemon pallidus 'Eleanor' bears large purple brushes earlier in the year than most, typically May and June here in the Pacific Northwest. |
 | | Callistemon 'Violaceus', Purple Bottlebrush, is regarded as a species by some, but "violaceus" is not an accepted species name, so it is apparently a variety or hybrid. |
| www.worldplants.com /callistemon.htm (444 words) |