Grevillea Peaches and Cream

Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' (Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream') carries the largest flowers of any grevillea most gardeners will grow: broad cream toothbrush blooms that flush peach and apricot as they open, appearing almost year round. It builds a spreading shrub to about 1.5m tall and 2m wide, fast enough to fill a bed in two seasons. On a hot, dry, poor site it is close to unbeatable.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers almost every month. The blooms come in waves rather than a single burst, so there is nearly always colour on the plant.
• Honeyeaters find it fast. Nectar rich flowers at an accessible height make it one of the most reliable bird attracting shrubs we sell.
• Thrives on neglect. Drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil, so a hot verge or sandy coastal bed suits it.
• Wide rather than tall. At 1.5m by 2m it covers ground and suppresses weeds without blocking a window.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1.5m apart. At that spacing the plants meet and cover the soil within two seasons while each one keeps the airflow that grevilleas need.

Coastal gardens. Salt tolerance and a low spreading habit make it a genuine front line shrub on an exposed block.

Feature planting and pots. A single plant flowering against a rendered wall earns its place. In a 500mm pot with free draining native mix it stays a little more compact.

Growing Grevillea 'Peaches and Cream' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest flowering, though it accepts light shade. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and arid gardens, and unusually for a grevillea it handles humidity well. It takes light frost only, so cool temperate, tableland and hard frosting inland gardens should choose a hardier grevillea instead.

Soil. Free draining above all else. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils are ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound with coarse sand through the backfill, and keep mulch thin and clear of the stem, because a damp collar is what kills grevilleas.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Feed a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring. Standard garden fertiliser holds far too much phosphorus and will yellow the foliage or kill the plant.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flowering wave to keep it dense and encourage the next flush. Take no more than a third at a time, and avoid cutting into bare old wood, which is slow to reshoot.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock, in 300mm pots, and in packs of six 175mm or 200mm plants for anyone doing a mass planting at 1.5m spacing. Tubes are young and unbranched but establish quickly, since grevilleas settle in better from a small root system. The 300mm plants arrive branched and often carrying buds.

A few yellowing lower leaves after transit are normal and grow out. Expect flowering within the first year and a full spread by the second. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the full grevillea care guide.
• Compare varieties in our grevillea collection.
• Browse more bird attracting plants.
• See other drought tolerant plants.

Common questions

What fertiliser should I use?

A native fertiliser labelled low phosphorus, applied lightly in early spring. Ordinary complete fertilisers, manures and mushroom compost carry enough phosphorus to damage the roots.

How far apart for a mass planting?

One and a half metres apart. The plants spread wider than they grow tall, and crowding them reduces airflow, which is when fungal problems start.

Will it grow in Melbourne or Canberra?

It takes light frost only, so it is not a safe choice for cold southern or tableland gardens. Warm coastal, subtropical and inland dry gardens suit it far better.