The Rebel Gardener

Grevillea Thelemanniana grey leaf form.

I found this little Grevillea growing in my garden recently that I’d forgot that I’d planted nearly 3 years ago. An Eremophila ground cover had grown to cover about half of it and it wasn’t until the Grevillea started to flower that I really noticed it.

Grevillea Thelemanniana covered by the Eremophila and Flowers.

Most of the other proteaceae plants that I’d planted in the vicinity had long since perished due to Phosphorus in my soil. My first impression of this Grevillea was that it was obviously resistance to the affects of the phosphorus. On recollection I do remember that it probably did have a dose of Powerfeed about 12 months earlier so I suppose up until then it probably just survived with the phosphorus in the soil but since the application of the Powerfeed it has seemed to have flourished despite being partly obscured by the Eremophila.

I remember when I first purchased this Grevillea I did so because I’d grown it before in my last garden and it always put on such a grand flowering display over winter. In my last garden though it was planted in a very dry shady area and as a consequence its branches grew very long and sparce and it probably wasn’t the best looking specimen of a plant. In this garden it is doing the same again but I’m wondering if it’s because of the Eremophila growing over the top of it.

I think what I’ll do though is give it a very good prune after it finishes flowering so that it will bush up, look more compact and hopefully flower more profusely next year.

As far as I’m concerned though I think that it is a very welcome addition to my garden as it appears to be tolerant of soil with phosphorus, it also a very drought tolerant plant and it also puts on a great little flowering display over winter.

It’s one of those Grevilleas that seems to thrive best on neglect and a prune in the spring.

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