Comments on: Grevillea, How to grow.

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:33:17 +0000

If you're not having any trouble growing Dryandras then I wouldn't think that poor drainage would be the problem. But it still wouldn't hurt to check. Bad drainage can be solved by using varieties grafted onto Grevillea Robusta rootstock. You may find the winters in Ballarat too cold for most "tropical" Grevilleas such as G Misty Pink and G Moonlight. The best tropical Grevillea for winter cold areas that I've tried is Grevillea Caloundra Gem, otherwise is you like the large flowering Grevilleas you might like to try Grevillea Ned Kelly or one of the other similar hybrids like G Robyn Gordon, G Peaches and Cream. Just make sure they don't get too much frost. You may also want to check your soil PH. It may be alkaline?

By: Ballarat gardener

Ballarat gardener — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:02:40 +0000

I’ve had no luck with grevilleas at all. The only ones that have flowered are arenaria & jephcottii. Even Moonlight just won’t grow or flower. The others that have died or refused to flower include Rosmarinifolia lutea, “Pink Ladies” and “Flora Mason” as well as the larger flowering types such as Misty Pink. I have no trouble growing lots of varieties of correa, leptospermum, banksias, hakeas, dryandras and eucalypt. If por drainage is the problem should I just give up on grevilleas?

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:27:04 +0000

I grew Long John once and it grew very quickly into a dense rounded bush of about 2.5m. One day the whole bush got blown over by the wind. What I discovered was the organic mulch was piled up around the trunk causing it to go rotten. The trunk was clear of the mulch when small but then grew out to meet it and disappeared below the branches and foliage. This is one reason why I’m not a big fan of organic mulch.
http://www.gardeningnativeplants.com/mulch/

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:15:19 +0000

Long John is one of my favorite Grevilleas. It grows fairly quickly and flowers prolifically. There may be a limit though on how hard you can prune it. I’d suggest not to prune it below the previous 12 months growth. If you’ve already tried and had no success then you’ve probably already got your answer. This grevillea is one that’s best tip pruned when young and then shaped each year after flowering. Have you maybe thought of pruning it into a standard? You could then underplant something else (or more long johns) to hide the bare trunk if it wasn’t to your liking.

By: teresa

teresa — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:16:31 +0000

I have a long john which I love.I’m not sure how to prune it.It seems when I trim it it doesn’t bush out but stops growing on the trimmed branch.Any suggestions as I’d like to form it a bit more into a tree-life form but don’t want to cut it needlessly and not have it grow in those parts.

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 02:00:01 +0000

Grevilleas don’t like fertiliser and most don’t like too much water with inadequate drainage. Sounds like you may have a problem with drainage if your garden bed is surrounded by concrete. Have a dig in the soil to see if it is boggy.

By: dorothy

dorothy — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 01:20:37 +0000

We have planted a number of Grevillea Lady O in a triangular garden bed which is surrounded on two sides by cement path/driveway and the third the brick house. They have been in about 18 months looking wonderful but now some are dropping their leaves. Problem? Solution?

By: Rebel Gardener

Rebel Gardener — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:33:21 +0000

Hi Leighton, great question. I've decided to write an article about Grevillea Rosmarinifolia to address your question.

By: leighton

leighton — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:09:09 +0000

I want to plant a fence line with the Grevillea Rosmarinifolia as I believe they are hardy and also have spiky leaves which will provide a barrier from unwanted people climbing the fence. I will require about 100 plants and would like to know the best place to get them We are in the central west of NSW Thanks

By: sue

sue — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:33:29 +0000

I love the flowers and the way you show them! gardening is one of my biggest passions