Garden Plant

Grevillea Rhyolitica

This is a fantastic Grevillea that I grew once before in my last garden. It’s normally sold as Grevillea Deua Flame or just Deua Grevillea. The reason that I like it so much is that it grows fairly quickly and always seems to be covered in flowers.

A beautiful ornamental flower.

The other great thing about this Grevillea is that it might appeal to gardeners that aren’t normally attracted to Grevilleas. It doesn’t have serrated leaves and its flower are a bit more ornamental, so it’s a little bit different and could even be used in cottage type gardens.

So because of the above reasons I decided to buy another one for my new garden. The first challenge for the plant though, will be to survive with the phosphorus in my soil. This to me though is part of the experiment. To start off with though, I’ve decided not to treat it with Powerfeed as I’d like to establish if it can tolerate the phosphorus without it. If it does start to show the effects of phosphorus toxicity though I’ll then treat it with the Powerfeed and see if the Nitrogen can then turn it around.

The first step when planting is to soak it in a bucket of water with Seasol and Multicrop Plant Starter. I do this to every plant that I plant and then place it into the hole to let the excess drain into the soil where it is about to be planted. It also wouldn’t hurt to also tip a bit more of this solution into the hole before the plant goes in especially if it’s a hot day.

Soak in Seasol and Plant Starter. Before and after tip pruning.

The other thing that is probably worth mentioning here is that I’m planting it just as we’re coming into winter here at Melbourne. I know that most gardeners recommend planting in spring and autumn but really I don’t think it matters. I’ve planted plants in the middle of summer and watered them just as you would the plants that I’d planted in the spring. They don’t have any trouble surviving. I think that the distinction here is that I’m talking about tough drought tolerant plants because that’s what I grow.

When I grew this Grevillea in my last garden it grew very quickly and because it was always covered in flowers it never really got pruned as often as it should have. With this one though I’ve decided to tip prune it right from the start. This will make it grow a lot bushier and more compact. You will also notice that where I’ve planted it there is also probably not enough room so I will have to prune it regularly so that it doesn’t get too large.

Also worth mentioning here is that when I bought this plant there were others to select from that were actually flowering. I selected this one because it had the best root system and as I consequence I’ve thrown away the little garden stake it came with. It’s roots are supporting it quite nicely. Also another thing about tip pruning it after planting is that it’s not as top heavy and it gives the roots more of a chance to support the plant in strong winds if required.

Anyway that’s it for now, a work in progress. I’ll come back to this again in the spring and we’ll see how it’s going.

In the meantime if you come accross Grevillea Rhyolitica in a nursery buy it and let me know how it goes.

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Posted in Garden Plants, Grevillea | Tagged garden plant, Grevillea, Multicrop Plant Starter, Powerfeed, Seasol | 5 Comments

Grevilleas

Grevilleas – some of the myths exposed.

Grevilleas are a plant that have been used it gardens and landscaping for many years and despite this it still amazes me as to how many misconceptions there are about growing them, especially in the home garden.

They are a genus of plants that grow mostly on the continent of Australia and consist of well over 300 species as well as hybrids that number well into the hundreds. In fact the Grevillea genus hybridises so readily that horticulturalists for years have used the different species to breed new hybrids as well as using the hybrids themselves in the quest to breed new and exciting varieties that can be used both in the home garden and also for landscaping.

The species themselves though come from areas all over Australia from tropical rainforests that receive over 3000mm a year to deserts that receive less than 200mm. They can be found growing in soils that range from deep sands that are well draining to heavy clay soils that flood easily after it has rained so it would be safe to say that it is not really too hard to find a Grevillea that will suit any type of growing conditions that you might have in your home garden.

I’ve been growing Grevilleas in my garden for over 10 years now and have grown many different species and hybrids and have found them to be one of the easiest plants to grow that I have in my garden. There is just one rule that you need to follow. Know what your local climate and soil conditions are and select your plants accordingly. There is a grevillea for any place you might have in your garden no matter what your climatic conditions may be.

So here’s a few tips that you might want to follow.

Firstly if you come from a humid high rainfall area there are so many wonderful tropical Grevilleas available in nurseries today. G Banksii has been used extensively in hybridising many tropical Grevilleas and as a result there are hundreds of these spectacular hybrids to choose from. G Honey Gem, G Moonlight, G Pink Surprise, G Caloundra Gem and G Misty Pink are just a few of the very early hybrids that are readily available.

Tropical Grevilleas

For those gardeners that think they have to put up with gardening in dry sandy areas then you may quite be the luckiest of all. Some of the most spectacular naturally occurring species come from the sandy arid areas of Central and Western Australia. G Juncifolia, G Petrophiloides, G Candelabroides, and G Eriostachya are just a very, very few of these fantastic plants. In some respects though these plants can be held responsible for the belief that grevilleas can be hard to grow. They have very specific soil requirements and when taken away from these conditions the plants tend not to survive. The other side of this though is that many of these Grevilleas can be grafted onto more reliable rootstocks such Grevillea Robusta, aka the Silky Oak and when done so they go from being very unreliable to being a lot more versatile but if you are lucky enough to live in a dry arid area with well draining soil then these plants will grow quite happily on their own rootstock.

Western Australian Grevilleas from arid regions

I’ve also heard people say that Grevilleas don’t like to be cultivated around their roots and are intolerant of fertilizers that contain phosphorus. Both these comments are completely true. But can I say this. If a plant is has a root system that is so well developed so that it not only survives without fertilizer by actually thrives without fertilizer then why would you want to waste time and money cultivating and fertilizing anyway. Grevilleas are a member of the proteaceae family and as result their roots have evolved to survive in very poor soils and in fact this is one of the features of the plant that actually helps to make it such a drought tolerant plant.

Just one other thing about fertilizer though, if you are to fertilize, then it best to use one that is very low in phosphorus as it is the phosphorus that actually does the damage. A few years ago I accidently managed to contaminate my garden soil with phosphorus and as a result managed to kill quite a few of my proteaceae plants, of which quite a few were Grevilleas. This was a bit of a disaster at the time but the upshot of it all was that I soon discovered that not all Grevilleas were susceptible to phosphorus toxicity.

The ones that I found survived were Grevillea Thelemanniana, G Splendour, G Sea Spray, G Firesprite, G John Evans, a few of the G Banksii hybrids and those that were grafted onto G Robusta rootstock. So if you have a soil that has been fertilized there are few Grevilleas that will still grow in soil contaminated with phosphorus. Just one more tip, I’ve found that a high nitrogen liquid fertilizer can be used to counter the effects of the phosphorus.

Another misconception about Grevilleas is they grow very fast and die very young. The example that was being used was that of G Robyn Gordon a spectacular little hybrid that first came about in the late 1950’s. My mother has one of these growing in her garden that must be nearly 20 years old. It’s about 1.5 metres in diameter and gets pruned every year. Grevilleas respond very well to pruning and if pruned regularly and given the right growing conditions they will live as long as any other garden plant and in fact I’m lead to believe that the original plant that supplied the cuttings from which every other Grevillea Robyn Gordon has been propagated from is still alive today some 50 years later.

So in finishing I can only say that most Grevilleas are very easy to grow, some are fussy but remember most of these can easily be grafted onto more suitable rootstock. They are easy to maintain, just give them an annual prune and you should never fertilize them. If you do manage to contaminate them with phosphorus you may be able to undo it with some high nitrogen fertilizer. So apart from that all you need to do is leave them to do what they do best, put on a spectacular flower display and attract lots and lots of birds into your garden. So if you haven’t already got a Grevillea or two growing in your garden then give it a try.

Grevilleas really are very easy to grow.

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Posted in Garden Plants, Gems, Grevillea | Tagged drought tolerant plant, garden plant, Grevillea | Leave a comment

Eremophilas

Eremophila, a very under rated Garden Plant

I never really appreciated what a great little garden plant the Eremophila was until I accidentally contaminated my garden soil with Phosphorus and killed most of my Banksias, Grevilleas and Proteas.

The summer of 2006/7 was quite dry and to make matters worse we had water restrictions in Melbourne and my one and only water tank had very little water in it. So to say that water for the garden was a scarcity was an understatement. I’d just planted out my new garden just a few months earlier and most of the plants were just surviving let along actually growing. The exceptions to this were about 3 or 4 Eremophilas that I’d planted. These plants were doing really well, putting on new growth and getting ready to flower for the autumn, winter and spring period. They seemed to be thriving despite the lack of water and a were living up to their reputation as being really drought tolerant plants.

It was because of this that I decided that these plants had earned the right to occupy a much larger piece of my garden. Also because these plants come in so many varieties I knew I’d have no shortage of variations to choose from. The only problem was that most nurseries didn’t stock them. If I was to fill my garden with them I’d have to go to some specialty Australian native plant nurseries. Luckily though in the meantime I came across a local market with quite a few plant stalls and these turned out to be a real treasure trove.

eremophilas1

Now just before I go any further I here’s just a few facts about this Eremophilas for those of you that are wondering.

The Genus Eremophila is exclusively Australian and basically means “desert loving”.
They’re found mainly in arid inland areas of the continent. Hence they are very drought tolerant plants.
They can be found growing in acid and alkaline soils that range from sand to clay.
There are hundreds of species, subspecies and hybrids.
They range from prostrate ground covers all the way to small trees.
The flower colours come in nearly every shade of a rainbow and the size and shape also vary.
Most are very adaptable and easy to grow while some are very fussy about their growing conditions but can be grafted onto more reliable rootstock.
Most are easily propagated by cuttings but seed can be a bit more challenging.
Most respond well the harsh pruning and in fact form a much more attractive plant when pruned after flowering.
Quite a few are reasonably fast growing which makes them a good option to fill space quickly.

It’s probably also important to point out that not all varieties are adaptable to all situations. The area that I live in has typically cold wet winters and dry hot summers and the natural soil in the area is a clayey loam that doesn’t always drain all that well. As a consequence I’ve raised my garden beds and improved the clay. Despite this, I’ve tried to use varieties that are considered to be adaptable in their requirements. So far and haven’t had any trouble finding over 20 different species, sub-species and hybrids to grow in my garden. As time goes by I’ll write about each of them. Just for now though here’s a list of what I’ve got growing in my garden at the moment.

Eremophila Alternifolia x Maculata, blue
E Bignoniiflora x Polyclada, “Big Poly”
Eremophila Biseratta, Prostrate Red
Eremophila Calorhabdos
Eremophila Eriocalyx, purple flowers
Eremophila “Eyre Princess”
Eremophila Gieslii prostrate
Eremophila Glabra, prostrate green
Eremophila Glabra ssp Carnosa
Eremophila Hillii
Eremophila Maculata, Apricot
Eremophila Maculata, “Winter Gold”
Eremophila Maculata, “Aurea”
Eremophila Maculata x Alternifolia, “Magneta Dream syn Blue Thunder”
Eremophila Maculata, compact red flowers
Eremophila Maculata, Pink Form
Eremophila Maculata, “Thundercloud”
Eremophila Oppositifolia, Royal Purple
Eremophila Racemosa
Eremophila Racemosa, “Peaches and Cream”
Eremophila Subteretifolia
Eremophila “Summertime Blue”
Eremophila “Yanna Road”
Eremophila Weldii

The only other Eremophila that I’ve tried that didn’t survive was E Drummondii which died despite having a reputation for being hardy. Maybe it didn’t like the phosphorus in the soil, but I can’t confirm this.

eremophilas2

In summing up I can only say that Eremophilas are a plant that deserve to be used more often in gardens and landscaping. Many Australian native plant gardeners have always known just what a great plant Eremophilas are but this plant really does deserves to become more mainstream. It is a very drought tolerant plant and seems to thrive on a lack of water. Eremophilas can flower profusely and put on a great display, the more you prune them the better they look, most are easy to grow and the ones that I’ve tried are relatively easy to propagate from cuttings. I think they’re a fantastic garden plant. After all if a garden plant can not only survive on a lack of water but also grow and thrive on a lack of water, then it has to good.

Eremophilas really are a fantastic garden plant.

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