Grevillea ‘Honey Gem’

Grevillea 'Honey Gem' (Grevillea 'Honey Gem') is the large native shrub that turns a boundary into a bird garden. It grows fast to about 4.5m tall and 3.5m wide, carrying big golden orange toothbrush flowers loaded with nectar that honeyeaters and lorikeets work over noisily. It is also one of the toughest screening plants available: drought, heat and salt tolerant, and content in poor soil.

Why you'll love it

• Birds arrive within weeks. The large flower heads are heavy nectar producers and honeyeaters find them fast, which makes this a reliable way to bring birds in.
• It flowers for months. The main display runs through the cooler months, with scattered flowering the rest of the year.
• Fast screening. Fast growing to about 4.5m, which puts real height and privacy in place in two to three seasons rather than five.
• It thrives where other plants sulk. Sandy coastal blocks, dry inland gardens and unimproved fill all suit it.
• Australian native, low maintenance. Beyond an annual prune it asks for very little.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 2m apart for a dense screen. The result is informal and textured rather than a clipped wall, so accept the loose habit or choose a lilly pilly.

Windbreaks and coastal gardens. A staggered double row at 2m spacing filters wind rather than blocking it, which is what an exposed block needs.

Feature planting. Lightly limbed up it makes a small flowering tree, and the birds turn it into the busiest spot in the garden.

Growing Grevillea Honey Gem in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. Anything less and the flowering thins out and the plant goes leggy. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate, and arid and semi arid gardens, and tolerates light frost only.

Soil. Free draining is the only real requirement, and poor sandy soil is genuinely fine. What it will not accept is heavy wet clay, so plant on a raised mound and do not over improve the bed.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, because grevilleas are phosphorus sensitive and standard fertiliser can kill them.

Pruning. Prune after the main flowering, taking off up to a third of the growth. Regular pruning keeps it dense, since an unpruned Honey Gem goes tall and bare at the base and does not reliably reshoot from old wood. Wear gloves, as the foliage irritates some skin.

What to expect when it arrives

Honey Gem is grown in two sizes: tube stock, and 200mm pots in packs of six. Given how fast this grevillea grows, tubes are usually the smarter buy. A tube planted in spring can be well over a metre by the following autumn. The 200mm packs suit a screen run.

Both sizes travel well because the foliage is tough. Plant within a few days of delivery, water in without fertiliser, and start tip pruning early to build density from the base. Expect the first flowers in the second year. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare every grevillea we grow
• The best bird attracting native plants
• Browse the wider Australian native range
• Plants that handle coastal conditions

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a screen?

Two metres apart. Each plant spreads to about 3.5m, so at that spacing they overlap and close into a dense informal screen within two to three seasons.

What fertiliser should I use?

A low phosphorus native fertiliser, once a year in early spring. Grevilleas are phosphorus sensitive, and standard lawn or general garden fertilisers can burn the roots and kill an otherwise healthy plant.

Why has mine gone tall and bare at the bottom?

It has not been pruned. Honey Gem grows fast and, left alone, puts everything into height. Prune up to a third off after each main flowering from the first year and it stays furnished at the base.