Growing Grevillea

Yesterday I planted a Grevillea Hilliana, a grafted dwarf type that will eventually grow to about two or three metres; a perfect size for near the nursery verandah, or great for anyone with a small garden. Choosing the right type for your garden is the key to growing grevillea successfully. There are many varieties, each with their own character, so it’s worth taking the time to think about how much space you have and what type of soil you have.

For us, our soil is very sandy and so to improve its water holding ability, provide nutrition and encourage microbes, we turn composted cow manure approximately 50/50 into our soil. This addition of composted cow manure seem to do the trick nicely. Grevilleas prefer well drained soil and really don’t like “wet feet.” If you’re gardening on heavier ground, it’s worth planting on a raised mound or improving drainage before you dig in. Remember too, that these plants love full sun. You can grow them in light shade, but the more sunshine they get, the better they’ll flower. Once they’re established, grevilleas are very easy to look after; though I've had people mention lately that they cannot grow them. Honestly apart from poor drainage, over feeding is one of the few mistakes you can make with Grevillea. General garden fertilisers often contains far too much phosphorus, which can harm Australian natives and burn their roots. Instead, use a fertiliser specially formulated for native plants or if your plants look healthy just leave them alone.

A light pruning after flowering will neaten up their shape, encourage new growth and give you more flowers for next season. Just like lavender, avoid cutting back into old, woody stems, as grevilleas don’t always regrow from those. Mulching around the base helps retain moisture and suppress weeds, however do be mindful to mulch a few centimetres away from the trunk to prevent collar rot. I made this mistake when I was younger and sadly caused the demise of a lovely lemon tree when mulching too closely to the trunk.

You will likely have a few favourites when it comes to Grevillea types. A few proven performers in my opinion are Grevillea “Honey Gem”, with its tall golden spikes of flowers, or the creamy white “Moonlight”, which looks beautiful in the evening light. If you prefer something more compact, “Forest Rambler” is an excellent mid sized option that flowers prolifically in our South Burnett climate. For smaller gardens or borders, “Lady O”, “Lemon Baby” and “Hills Jubilee” are all great choices. They are compact, colourful and perfect for attracting the birds. If you are preferring a native ground cover, ‘Sunkissed’ is a lovely one, forming a spreading mat covered in flowers through winter and spring. This is the one we have growing beautifully in the carpark garden.If you're after a rounder shape,”Robyn Gordon” is a constant flowering type and is actually a hybrid of a Western Australian Grevilla and a Queeensland Grevillea bred at Myall Park QLD near Miles.

For interest, perhaps try mixing a few together to create a layered look. Tall varieties like “Honey Gem” or “Moonlight” at the back, medium shrubs like “Scarlet Sprite” in the middle and smaller types or ground covers in the front. This will look awesome, creating visual depth and structure while also providing year round food and shelter for the birds. Growing Grevillea plants is all about choosing the right plants for your soil and importantly using low phosphorus fertilisers. A quick note to self .. Blood and Bone fertiliser are very high in phosphorus so "Not" to be used either. Once established, grevilleas handle our hot, dry season really well, needing only occasional deep watering during extended dry weather. Just make sure young plants are watered regularly while they settle in. However, with plenty of sun nature will continue to gift you abundantly with beautiful flowers and visiting birds.