Woolly Grevillea Woolly Bear

Woolly Grevillea 'Woolly Bear' (Grevillea lanigera 'Woolly Bear') is a low native groundcover that flowers when the garden is at its quietest. It spreads to about 1.5m across while staying under 0.4m tall, so it covers ground and softens edges without ever blocking a view. Soft grey green foliage carries clusters of pink and red spider flowers through the cooler months.

Why you'll love it

• Wide and low. One plant covers a 1.5m circle at ankle height, which fills a bank or a bed edge far more cheaply than shrubs.
• Flowers through winter. Pink and red spider flowers appear from autumn into spring, feeding honeyeaters and native bees when little else is out.
• Genuinely tough. Frost hardy, drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil, so it handles exposed slopes and coastal gardens.
• Soft to look at. The fine woolly foliage has a grey cast that sits well beside stone, gravel and other natives.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1m apart for dense cover. At that spacing the plants meet in two to three seasons, which shades out weeds and holds soil on a slope.

Rockeries and retaining walls. The sharp drainage of a rockery is exactly what it wants, and it cascades neatly over a wall edge or a large boulder.

Borders, edging and pots. It softens a path edge without needing clipping. In a wide shallow pot it spills over the rim and stays around 400mm tall.

Growing Woolly Grevillea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, with air moving through it. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens and is reliably frost hardy. Humid subtropical summers are its weak point, where still air and wet soil bring on root rot.

Soil. Sandy, gravelly or otherwise sharply drained soil, and it is perfectly happy in poor ground. On clay, plant on a raised mound and mulch with gravel rather than heavy organic mulch, which holds damp against the stems.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, if at all. Standard garden fertilisers can damage grevillea roots.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after the main flowering to keep it compact and to encourage more flowering wood. Do not cut back into bare old wood, because grevilleas of this type do not reliably reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

Three sizes are available: tubes, 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. Tubes are the value option for a large area, since natives planted small often establish faster and catch up within two seasons. The 140mm and 200mm plants give quicker cover for a smaller bed.

Plants arrive as low branched young stock and travel well. Expect little visible growth for a month, then spread through the first warm season, filling a 1.5m circle in two to three years. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the grevillea care guide.
• Compare varieties in the grevillea collection.
• See other groundcover plants for banks and edges.
• Browse other bird attracting plants.

Common questions

How many plants per square metre?

One per square metre, planted 1m apart, gives full cover in two to three seasons. Planting tighter closes the gap a little sooner but costs considerably more.

Will it grow in a humid climate?

It can, but only with sharp drainage, full sun and open air movement. In humid subtropical gardens a raised bed or a pot of gritty mix is a safer approach than a flat garden bed.

What fertiliser should I use?

A low phosphorus native fertiliser, applied lightly in early spring. Ordinary complete fertilisers carry enough phosphorus to burn the roots, and it needs very little feeding.

Can I cut it back if it gets leggy?

Trim into green growth only. Light annual tipping after flowering prevents the problem, but a plant cut hard into bare wood often fails to shoot again.