Grevillea ‘Crimson Villea’

Grevillea 'Crimson Villea' (Grevillea 'Crimson Villea') is a compact bred grevillea carrying deep red spider flowers on a bush around 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide. It flowers over a long season rather than one short burst, and honeyeaters find it within weeks of planting. For a hot, dry, poor soil position where you still want colour and bird life, there are few better options.

Why you'll love it

• Birds arrive quickly. Nectar rich crimson flowers pull in honeyeaters and other small nectar feeders, the fastest way to bring wildlife into a new garden.
• A manageable size. At roughly 1.5m by 1.5m it is a true garden shrub, not a sprawling bush.
• Thrives on neglect. Drought, heat and salt tolerant and happy in poor soil, so it holds a difficult verge without irrigation once established.
• Long flowering. Colour through much of the year in warmer gardens, with the heaviest flush from late winter into spring.

Where it works best

Feature planting. A single bush at the corner of a bed gives structure, colour and bird activity in one plant.

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart through a bank, a verge or a wide bed. At that spacing the bushes grow together into a low informal thicket that shades out weeds and needs almost no water.

Borders and pots. The same 1m spacing gives a soft informal driveway edge, and a 500mm pot of free draining mix holds a single plant a little smaller than full size.

Growing Grevillea 'Crimson Villea' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and plenty of it, because shade produces a thin, leggy plant with few flowers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland and hard frosting southern gardens are outside its range, and it dislikes prolonged humidity in the wet tropics.

Soil. Free draining above all else. It grows well in poor sandy and gravelly ground. On clay, plant on a mound at least 200mm high, because wet feet in summer is the usual cause of a sudden collapse.

Water and feed. Deep water weekly through the first summer, then leave it alone except in long dry spells. Use only a low phosphorus native fertiliser, applied lightly after flowering. Standard fertilisers and manures carry enough phosphorus to damage grevillea roots.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flowering flush to keep the bush dense. Never cut into old bare wood, because grevilleas are unreliable at reshooting from it.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown in a single size, sold as tube stock, and currently on backorder rather than off the shelf. A tube is a young single stemmed plant with a well developed root system for its size. Grevilleas establish faster from small stock than large, so this is no compromise: a tube planted in autumn or spring often overtakes a bigger plant beside it.

Tubes travel well. Plant into free draining ground, water in, then keep the water up for the first summer only. Expect new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather and the first flowers in the second season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full grevillea range
• Bird attracting plants for Australian gardens
• Plants that thrive in poor soil
• Shop drought tolerant plants

Common questions

What fertiliser should I use?

A low phosphorus native fertiliser only, applied lightly after the main flowering. Grevilleas evolved on phosphorus poor soil, and standard fertilisers, manures and mushroom compost can damage the root system.

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart for mass planting. Each bush spreads to about 1.5m, so at that spacing they grow together into a continuous low thicket within two to three seasons.

Why did my grevillea die suddenly in summer?

Almost always drainage. Grevilleas will not tolerate soil that stays wet in warm weather, and root rot can take a healthy looking plant down in a fortnight. Plant on a mound and keep mulch off the stem.