The Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush, otherwise known as the Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ or Heather ‘Aphrodite’, Ling ‘Aphrodite’, Scottish Heather ‘Aphrodite’, Scots Heather ‘Aphrodite’, Garden Girls Series, is a rather well known shrub plant by gardening enthusiasts around the world.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its gray-green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
In order to take proper care of your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush you’ll need to keep in mind the following guidelines:
- Water: The Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
- Light: Keep your Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ in an environment where it can receive full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of sand, loam, and clay.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush belongs to the Ericaceae family, the genus Calluna and the species Vulgaris, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ (kal-LIS-tem-on vi-mi-NAH-liss).
Some of the more popular Ericaceae plants are Brouwer’s Beauty Pieris, Picea Glauca ‘Pendula’, Cancerwort ‘Waterperry Blue’ and Vaccinium Angustifolium.
As with other Calluna’s, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush is an evergreen plant, which means it will be present year round in your garden.
Growing Region
The Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush is a plant native to the Eurasia.
Knowing your plant’s native region is very useful, as it can give you tips on which environment is best for your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush. If you keep it in mind, you can try to replicate these conditions at home, and you’ll likely end with a healthier plant.
With this in mind, the Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ will be most used to the heat zones in the 5 – 7 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 4b, 4a, 5b, 5a, 6b, 6a and the ideal climate zone is between 1A, 2, 2A, 2B, 3, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But what exactly does this mean for your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush? How large a pot should you consider, how tall, how wide can it get? Let’s jump in…
The Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ can grow up to 10″ – 1′ (25cm – 30cm) in 10″ – 1′ (25cm – 30cm) and 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm) in 1′ – 2′ (30cm – 60cm).
These dimensions make the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush a relatively medium shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful rounded shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 18″ – 20″ (45cm – 50cm) free so the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush is a fairly simple plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ needs at least weekly watering, or more in extreme heat, preferably with regular water.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush in soil with moist but well-draining to well draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has good drainage properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
But, if you want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution to watering your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush then you should consider the famous ‘finger’ test. To perform this test, you just need to put your finger in your plant’s soil and determine if it’s moist or not. If it is, then don’t water; if it isn’t, then please do. In any case, this test will allow you to know if your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush needs or does not need water, every time.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush prefers to have soil with good drainage properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of sand, loam, and clay.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably acid soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush requires full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being an evergreen plant, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush will be present year round in your garden.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the summer (late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush to flower around the spring and in the summer months from April to June (spring), and from July to September (summer).
In particular, this shrub is well known for its long bloom season, flowers for cutting and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush produces some beautiful pink, or pink and purple/lavender flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush have a beautiful gray-green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a opposite organization in its leaves.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush is well known for its tolerance to animals like deer, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ will be fine.
Garden
How should you then organize your garden to include your new Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush? Here are some recommendations by expert gardeners.
Most Callistemon Viminalis ‘Neon Pink’ owners agree that this shrub will look great in most mediterranean and rustic gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of city and courtyard, and in informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush’s best location within your garden is in beds and borders, banks and slopes, and in ground covers, others use it for landscaping in a coastal exposure, mass planting, privacy screen, border, erosion control, rock garden, cutting garden, container, hedge, or a specimen.
Companion Plants
Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Ligustrum, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Cistus will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
And we’ve come to an end. Fortunately, that’s everything you need to know about your Bottle Pop™ Neon Pink Bottlebrush to keep it safe and sound in your garden or home. Enjoy planting!
