Grevillea ‘Cherry Ripe’

Grevillea 'Cherry Ripe' (Grevillea 'Cherry Ripe') is a large flowered hybrid grown for one thing above all: honeyeaters. It reaches about 2.5m tall and 2.5m wide, carrying substantial red and pink flower heads against divided grey green foliage through most of the year in a warm garden. Growth is fast, so a screen or a bird garden comes together in two or three seasons.

Why you'll love it

• Birds arrive within weeks. The large nectar heavy heads are what honeyeaters and lorikeets look for, and a mature plant is rarely without birds.
• It flowers for most of the year. In tropical and subtropical gardens there is rarely a long gap between flushes.
• Poor soil is fine. Sandy, gravelly and low fertility ground suits it, not the rich bed most flowering shrubs need.
• Coastal and drought hardy. Salt wind and long dry spells are both handled once it is established.

Where it works best

Informal screening. Plant 1.5m apart in a single row for a soft screen to about 2.5m. It will not clip into a formal hedge, so accept the loose habit or choose something else.

Feature planting. A single plant near a window or a path works, since the flowers carry on their own and the bird activity is part of the appeal.

Coastal gardens and mass planting. On an exposed coastal block, a group at 1.5m spacing on a staggered grid gives shelter, colour and habitat in one planting.

Growing Grevillea 'Cherry Ripe' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. Shade produces a thin, sparse plant with few flowers. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and it takes light frost only, so cold inland districts, the tablelands and hard frosting southern gardens want a hardier grevillea instead.

Soil. Free draining and on the poor side. Do not enrich the bed, and never use standard garden fertiliser: this is a phosphorus sensitive plant. On heavy clay, plant on a raised mound.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. If you feed at all, use a low phosphorus native blend in early spring.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flush, taking no more than a third. Grevilleas of this type do not reliably reshoot from bare old wood, so do not cut into leafless stems.

What to expect when it arrives

Three sizes are available: tube stock, a 140mm pack of ten and a 200mm pack of six. Tubes and 140mm plants are young and single stemmed, the value option for a screen or mass planting. The 200mm plants are bushier and closer to flowering.

Fine divided foliage can look dishevelled after transit and rights itself within a fortnight. Plant into unimproved soil, water it in, then leave it alone. Expect first flowers within a season. 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

• Native plants that bring birds into the garden.
• Compare the full grevillea range.
• Browse other bird attracting plants.
• See what suits salt exposed coastal gardens.

Common questions

What fertiliser should I use?

A low phosphorus native blend, or nothing at all. Standard garden and lawn fertilisers are high in phosphorus, which this type of grevillea cannot tolerate. Yellowing leaves and sudden dieback after feeding are the usual signs.

How far apart for a screen?

A metre and a half apart in a single row. The plants meet within two to three seasons and give a soft, informal screen rather than a clipped hedge line.

Should I wear gloves when pruning it?

Worth doing. Grevilleas of this group can cause a contact skin rash in some people, especially when handling a lot of cut material. Gloves and long sleeves settle it.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. Young plants are most vulnerable, and repeated hard frost will kill it. In cold districts choose a frost hardy grevillea instead.