its been dead looking for a year and a half.. and you still havent done anything.. crikey.. you redefine patience ... i think its time to do something drastic .... but...

w/o a pic.. i cant even conceptualize the issue...

could you provide one??

ken

Callistemon have plentiful epicormic buds (those buds that lie dormant beneath the bark up and down the trunk). Since the top/tips of branches are dead, these buds will now become active and produce shoots, as you are finding out. Pruning won't hurt it, it is now a matter of aesthetics - you can wait and see what buds out and how much of the branches are dead, and cut off the dead wood. Or anticipate a bit and do it now. I have a whole row of 'Little John' that got hit hard last winter and I took off about 1/3 of the plants and they are now almost back to normal. If yours is grown in tree form it may be a bit harder to recover a nice shape, but it can be done.

Good luck!

Sara