Grevilleas are quite fussy garden plants even though they are natives!
Give them the right conditions and you'll have a better chance of them thriving in your garden.
Planting Grevillea
They are sensitive to heavy rain and don't like having wet roots
- They can be adaptable as to soil type - so long as it is free-draining soil
- That means water or rainfall moves quickly from the surface through the soil to the bedrock
- Work in plenty of grit, horticultural sand, perlite, vermiculite or other inorganic matter to heavy soils to improve aeration
- We grow our grevilleas on slopes and banks to aid with drainage
- Grow your grevilleas in a pot if your soil is heavy
- Site it carefully - they do not like being moved after planting
In a humid climate?
A good tip is to choose varieties with glossy smooth green foliage, and those varieties with parents that originate on the east coast. (You'll find this info in the plant description). They'll cope with higher rainfall and wetter roots better than others.
Feeding Grevillea
They are usually sensitive to phosphorus and don't like over-rich soils
- Grevilleas often grow well in poor sandy light soils, rather than heavily fertilised loamy ones
- Use native-specific or low-phosphorus fertiliser, not all-purpose plant food
- Add a handful of controlled release fertiliser for native plants to the soil when buds start to form, or after pruning to help the plant recover
- Test your soil's pH levels - some grevilleas thrive best in acid soils
- Plant them with other phosphorus sensitive natives in your garden borders - like acacia, banksia, and hardenbergia - to make it easier
Pruning Grevillea
Grevilleas come in sizes to suit even the smallest garden
- Bear in mind the mature size when you plant your tubestock - give it enough room to grow to full size
- Choose wisely - there's nothing sadder than a plant chopped and disfigured to fit a too-small space
- Bear in mind the mature size when you plant your tubestock - give it enough room to grow
- Many can be hard pruned if needed, especially the larger shrub and tree forms.
- You can see examples from our nursery here, where we have carried out some hard remedial pruning on our tree and shrub grevilleas
- Prune after flowering to encourage fresh bushy growth which will carry the next flush of flowers
