AusBonsai

My local Nursery is closing down so I managed to pick up this Melaleuca (Callistemon) for a good price along with some Leptospermums (see post in Leptospermum section).

This is what it looked like from the Nursery I pruned some of the foliage and then wired the branches into a floodswept style so common for these species in nature when they grow in a rocky river bed.
I raked away the potting mix to expose the roots and aid the flood washed look. I will cover up the roots with moss tomorrow
and root prune and repot after it flowers (it is currently covered in buds as you can see from the photos) Any tips or comments would be appreciated.

Hi Bonsaibotanist, in case you haven't seen it I thought I would give you the link to shibui's waterswept Callistemon as it may be of interest to you
viewtopic.php?f=55&t=13749&p=143731&hil ... pt#p143731
Cheers, Dario.

Hello a question please is that a typo or is there now a Melaleuca species called Callistemon?. As we all know the botanists are shifting some species of Callistemon over to the Melaleucas, and I was just wondering.

Cheers Pup

You are on the right track however it is worse than you think botanically Callistemon no longer exists, that is all Callistemons have been transferred to Melaleuca.
Callistemon salignus has paper bark like a Melaleuca so that is not a difference between the two genera and C. viminalis has a flower structure that resembles Melaleucas so there is no consistent differences between Melaleuca and Callistemon.