Forest Rambler Grevillea

Forest Rambler Grevillea (Grevillea 'Forest Rambler') is a fast, ground hugging native that spreads to about 2m across while staying only half a metre tall. It knits into a dense, weed smothering carpet studded with pink to red toothbrush flowers over a long season, and it does so on sites that defeat most groundcovers: dry banks, windy coastal blocks, poor soil and frosty inland gardens alike.

Why you'll love it

• Covers ground quickly. Planted 1m apart it closes into a continuous mat, shading out the weeds that would otherwise own the space.
• Feeds the honeyeaters. The nectar rich toothbrush flowers bring small birds and bees into the garden at ground level.
• Handles nearly everything. Frost hardy, drought tolerant once established, salt tolerant, wind tolerant and untroubled by poor soil. That list covers most difficult gardens in the country.
• Holds banks together. The dense, spreading habit binds loose slopes and spills cleanly over retaining walls.
• Genuinely low maintenance. One light trim and one feed a year is the entire program.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Space plants 1m apart for full cover. With water behind them through the first summer, the mats meet within about two seasons.

Slopes and retaining walls. On a bank it stitches the surface together and stops rain scouring the soil; above a wall it curtains over the face and softens the hard edge.

Rockeries, borders and edging. The fine foliage flows around boulders and along bed edges, giving a native planting its finished, furnished look.

Growing Forest Rambler Grevillea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with the densest cover and best flowering in sun. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate, Mediterranean and semi arid gardens; the steamy wet tropics are the one climate to skip. Frost is no problem.

Soil. Any soil that drains, from coastal sand to gravelly loam, and it keeps performing in poor ground that would starve exotic groundcovers.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first summer, then it looks after itself in most districts. Feed once in spring with a low phosphorus native fertiliser; like most grevilleas it resents high phosphorus products.

Pruning. A light all over trim after the main flowering flush keeps the mat dense and youthful. Avoid cutting back into bare old wood, which grevilleas are slow to reshoot from.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Forest Rambler in 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six, formats built for covering real areas rather than buying one plant at a time. At 1m spacing, a pack of ten covers roughly 10 square metres of bed. The plants arrive low and leafy, and once the weather is warm they move quickly.

Stock is delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse the full grevillea range
• More climbers and groundcovers
• The Australian natives collection
• Native plants with red flowers for your garden

Common questions

How many plants do I need?

Work on one plant per square metre. Each spreads to about 2m across, but 1m spacing halves the time to full cover and gives a denser, more even mat.

Will it climb the fence or stay flat?

It stays around half a metre tall. It will scramble over rocks and drape down a wall face, but it has no way of climbing, so fences and nearby shrubs are safe.

How tough is it really?

Very. It is frost hardy, drought tolerant once its roots are down, and untroubled by wind, salt air or poor soil. The main thing that kills it is constantly waterlogged ground.

Does it need much pruning?

One light trim a year after flowering keeps it tight. Trim the outer runners any time they wander past their allotted edge, and never cut into leafless old wood.

Can grevilleas irritate skin?

Some people react to handling grevillea foliage and flowers with itchy skin. It is not a reason to avoid the plant, but wear gloves and long sleeves when you trim, especially the first time.