Many gardeners enjoy collecting obscure and unusual plants and a new native which is not a common sight in nurseries is a grevillea – Grevillea decora. It is a particularly showy shrub or small tree with a mass display of flowers in early autumn. Don recently looked at these shrubs which are good feature plants for the garden and are highly attractive to birds.
Botanical name: Grevillea decora. The name is derived from the Latin ‘decorus’ meaning beautiful and handsome.
Description: This grevillea will grow up to 4m (13′) tall. The foliage is a silvery green and the flowers are spidery and in clusters. The colour of the flowers is a silvery red or dusty pink and the young flowers are bronze, tinged with prominent hairs. Growers are grafting this plant onto silky oak (Grevillea robusta) rootstock which produces a much hardier plant.
hedging plant
well drained sandy soil
heavy frosts
Grevillea decora likes a warm climate and will grow in the coastal areas from Sydney and north, across the tropical north and the warm coastal area of Western Australia. It is worth a try in a warm position on the coast from Melbourne to Sydney. It will only take a light frost.
Grevillea decora will be hard to get. Contact your local Australian native plant specialist and ask them to order it for you. Our segment was filmed at Fairhill Native Nursery, Fairhill Road, Yandina, QLD, 4561. Phone: (07) 5446 7088. Costs around $14 for a 20cm (8″) pot.