Its remarkable blooms are lit by bright red stamens, carried on a shrub whose evergreen foliage stays attractive the rest of the year. Native to New Zealand yet easy to find in garden stores, Metrosideros carmineus fears cold far more than drought: keep it above 28°F (-2°C) and it will flower and stay ornamental with little care.
| Name | M. carmineus, M. carminea |
|---|---|
| Family | Myrtaceae |
| Type | shrub |
| Height | 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m) |
| ‘Ferris Wheel’ variety | 3 feet (1 m) |
| Exposure | full sun |
| Soil | ordinary |
| Foliage | evergreen |
| Flowering | late spring to midsummer |
It’s also nice during the rest of the year thanks to its evergreen foliage.
Planting recommended directly in the ground in spring in warm coastal climates.
Its hardiness isn’t very good: it won’t survive temperatures lower than 28°F (-2°C).
Elsewhere, best plant in containers so you can bring them in for winter.
Three named varieties are grown, and they differ mainly in final size and foliage. Size is what decides whether the plant stays in a pot or goes into a hedge.
| Variety | Height | Main feature | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ‘Ferris Wheel’ | 3 feet (1 m) | Dwarf, the most successful variety by far | Container growing |
| ‘Carousel’ | Not specified | Ivory-rimmed, nicely variegated leaves | Ornamental planting, cold greenhouse |
| ‘Red Baby’ | 6 feet (2 m) | Semi-dwarf | Hedge or topiary shapes |
All are very ornamental and easy to care for, and all suit lean-ins or cold greenhouses.
This tree is relatively easy to care for. Indeed, Metrosideros is more afraid of the cold than it is of drought.
It isn’t necessary to prune it, but you can go ahead and shape your Ferris wheel plant into a hedge or into topiary shapes.
Wait for the end of the blooming to balance out the branches so you don’t miss out on those surprising flowers!
This shrub offers remarkable blooming with its flowers that boast bright red stamens. It’s native to New Zealand, but is now quite easy to find in garden stores. It’s a close relative of common myrtle found natively in the Americas.
There are several varieties of interest: ‘Ferris Wheel’, ‘Carousel’, and ‘Red Baby’.
All are very ornamental and easy to care for. They’re perfectly suited to lean-ins or cold greenhouses.
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Keep the soil moist by watering often, but not too much when the soil is dry.
