Bottle brush (Callistenum)

I have two of these, growing in pots. They are doing reasonably well, and are flowering at the moment, though not very floriferously. (I’m thinking that they need re-potting into larger pots at some point - autumn? I haven’t got the space to put them in the ground).
Anyway, aside from that, my question is about pruning, as I’ve read conflicting advice. Some advice I’ve read is that you should just prune the spent flower heads, to stop the energy being diverted to the seeds, but instead going into further growth of the plants, and encourage bushing. Other advice I’ve read is to give them a really good prune by at least a third of their current size. As such, I’m confused as to what to do for the best.
My plants are getting quite tall, but not flowering profusely. As I said earlier, I think this may be due, in part, to the fact that they need slightly larger pots plus fresh compost, as I imagine a lot of the nutrients have been lost.
Do I need to give them the light prune once the flowers are spent, but then later (when?), give them a more serious prune?
Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

Not something I prune unless I have to.
I think you lose flowering that way.

As to repotting, I'd do it after flowering rather than in Autumn.

 

Mine are too tall to prune ...



Never did when it was small.

 

Thank you to you all. It’s strange that I’ve read such conflicting advice on line. I think I’ll go with the consensus here and leave them be, maybe put them into slightly larger pots once flowering is complete. In the last few days, both plants have decided to put out a few more flowers, so perhaps they are happy after all .
@Victoria, yours is a magnificent specimen.

 

Mine is almost in full flower now, its a pity they have a short flowering season.

 

Yes, they don’t have a long flowering time, do they, but they look very pretty.

 

Yours does look like a viminalis now Pete but why not stake it up. It is looking great but needs that drape. Mine is not really blooming now but does on and off all year with the heaviest bloom early in the year.

 

Callistemon (Melaleuca) rigidus has a weeping habit and looks better that way, not staked.
C. laevis does flower again in the autumn but can get burnt by early hard frosts.
I do prune, cutting off all of the dead flowers, salignus, violaceus and Inferno over 8ft high so they need reducing in height.

 

Mine only flowers once and I rarely prune it, It's partly leaning because its rooted under the trees and its looking for sunlight, I kind of like the weeping effect, although I think I might have to do something about it at some point.

 

Mine is rooted in a rock base.

 

Mine is in the lawn ( and yes, I do need to get out and clear the ground round its roots!)
It started life as a sort of standard bush, but got badly damaged when a roebuck decided to clean its antlers on it. However, it sprouted from the base and has been doing well.
I tend to prune back the dead flowers when they go to seed, but always miss a few, despite thinking I’d got them all. What I have found is that the branches get long and too heavy, and then tend to break, so I’ll cut those back to a few leaves, or to where it is already dividing up, so it thickens nearer the centre. Doesn’t seem to have done it any harm, and I’ve been getting more flowers every year.
They seem to be very popular round here, and enjoy the conditions ( woodland, big gardens with lots of trees and acid soil) as almost every garden seems to have at least one or two.

 

Ours like many plants in our garden has been moved many times. This place now though seems to suit it better. It is sheltered, in the ground and never pruned.
Photo not too great as very windy.