Grevillea ‘Little Robyn’

Little Robyn grevillea (Grevillea 'Little Robyn') is the low, spreading native for a hot bank or a dry front garden nobody wants to maintain. It settles at roughly 80cm tall and 1.2m wide, so it covers ground faster than it gains height. Pink and red flowers carry through most of the year and bring honeyeaters in close.

Why you'll love it

• Wider than it is tall. At 80cm by 1.2m the branches knit sideways into a low carpet, which is what a bank or a border needs.
• Flowers that pull birds in. Pink and red nectar heads keep honeyeaters working the garden through most of the year.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, untroubled by poor soil and comfortable with coastal salt in the air.
• Close to no maintenance. One light trim after the heaviest flush is the entire job for the year.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 80cm apart for a dense sweep. At that spacing the plants meet in the second year and shade out most weeds without help from you.

Retaining walls and slopes. The spreading habit suits the dry top edge of a wall or an awkward embankment. Keep the same 80cm spacing and let it tumble over the face.

Borders, rockeries and pots. Low enough to edge a path without blocking the view, and steady enough in a container to sit on a balcony for years.

Growing Little Robyn grevillea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering and the tightest habit; part shade produces a leggier plant with fewer blooms. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, and it is frost hardy once established, so southern and tableland gardens are well within range. It is not the pick for the wet tropics.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Poor sandy and gravelly soils are fine. On clay, plant on a raised mound with coarse compost worked through, and keep mulch 50mm deep and clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring. Standard garden fertilisers carry too much phosphorus for grevilleas.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density, then cut back by about a third once the main flush finishes. Avoid cutting into bare old wood, because grevilleas are slow to reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: single tubes, and 140mm plants in packs of ten. Tubes are young, usually a single stem 15 to 20cm high, and they are the sensible choice for a large bank because they establish quickly. The 140mm packs give you ten branching plants, enough to cover about six square metres at 80cm spacing.

The fine foliage holds little water, so plants travel well. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Expect a quiet first month, then steady spread through the first warm season and useful cover by the end of year two. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to plant, feed and prune grevilleas
• Browse the full grevillea range
• Plants suited to rockeries and dry gardens
• More options for retaining walls and slopes

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Eighty centimetres apart in a staggered grid for mass planting. That is close enough for the canopies to meet in the second year, and far enough that air still moves between the plants.

Will it survive frost?

Yes. It is frost hardy once established, which puts cool temperate and inland gardens well within range. Give it shelter through the first winter while the roots are still shallow.

Can I grow it in a pot?

It does well in a 400mm or larger pot with a free draining mix. Water more often than you would in the ground, and use a low phosphorus native fertiliser once in spring.