Soopa Doopa Grevillea

Soopa Doopa Grevillea (Grevillea 'Soopa Doopa') carries flower heads far larger than a bush this size has any right to hold. It mounds to about 1.5m tall and 2m wide, and through the cooler months it is covered in big red and pink brushes that honeyeaters work over from first light. It handles heat, drought, poor soil and salt air, which makes it one of the easiest natives to place in a small garden.

Why you'll love it

• Flower heads you notice from the street. Large tropical style blooms in red ageing to pink, held clear of the foliage.
• A long flowering season. The main flush runs from autumn through winter and into spring, with scattered flowers at other times.
• Honeyeaters find it fast. Nectar this heavy pulls small birds into a garden within a season, and bees and butterflies work it too.
• A compact, mounding shape. Wider than it is tall, so it fills a bed without blocking a window or crowding a path.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1.5m apart for a massed display. At that spacing the mounds meet and the bed reads as one sweep of colour rather than a row of separate bushes.

Feature planting in small gardens. A single plant anchors a front bed or a courtyard corner, and it will not outgrow the space in three years.

Borders and coastal gardens. The low mound suits the front edge of a mixed native bed, and salt tolerance means it also stands up near the beach.

Growing Soopa Doopa Grevillea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. Shade cuts flowering hard and makes the bush open and leggy. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and arid to semi-arid gardens, and takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and southern districts are not for it.

Soil. Free draining above all. Poor, sandy and gravelly soils are ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound and use a gravel or coarse mulch rather than a rich compost.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in a long dry stretch. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring. Standard garden fertilisers hold too much phosphorus and will damage the roots of a grevillea.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flush to keep the mound dense. Take a third off the new growth at most, and never cut back into bare old wood, because it will not reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: tube stock, and 200mm pots sold in packs of six. Tubes are young single plants and the economical way to fill a large bed, since grevilleas establish quickly and often catch a larger plant within two seasons. The 200mm plants arrive branched and usually flower in their first year with you.

Expect a quiet month after planting, then fast growth once the roots move into the surrounding soil. Do not overwater in that first month, as more new grevilleas are lost to wet feet than to dryness. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the full grevillea care guide.
• Compare varieties in the grevillea range.
• Browse more bird attracting plants.
• See other drought tolerant plants for dry gardens.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant them?

1.5m apart for a massed bed. For a single feature plant, allow the full 2m width so the mound can develop its natural shape without being cut back.

Why is my grevillea yellowing after fertilising?

Phosphorus is the usual culprit. Grevilleas evolved on low phosphorus soils, so use a native blend at the recommended rate and water it in.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only, and best with shelter for the first two winters. In a cold inland or southern garden, choose a frost hardy native instead.