Grevillea ‘Big Foot’ (Grafted)

Grevillea 'Big Foot' (Grevillea 'Big Foot') is the one to plant if you want honeyeaters in the garden by next season. It makes a broad shrub of about 3m tall and 3m wide, carrying oversized red and orange flower heads over large, deeply lobed leaves. This is the grafted form, worked onto silky oak rootstock, which lets it survive heavy clay and alkaline soils where seedling grevilleas quietly die.

Why you'll love it

• Grafted for difficult soil. The Grevillea robusta rootstock handles clay, lime and higher pH ground, so it works well outside classic sandy grevillea country.
• Flower heads you notice from the street. Big nectar rich red and orange brushes over a long season, set against unusually large lobed foliage.
• Birds arrive quickly. Honeyeaters, wattlebirds and lorikeets work the flowers, and the dense branching gives small birds somewhere to shelter.
• Fast, tough and low maintenance. Drought and heat tolerant once established, comfortable in poor soil, and thirsty only in its first year.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant at 3m by 3m fills a corner or anchors a native bed, and the flower size makes it a talking point near an entry or driveway.

Informal screening. Plant 2m apart for a loose, wide screen. It will never be a clipped hedge, but at that spacing it makes a solid 3m block along a fence line.

Mass planting and coastal blocks. Set 2m apart through a bank or a low water bed. Sandy, poor coastal soils suit it, though shelter it from constant salt laden wind.

Growing Grevillea Big Foot in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and plenty of it. Shade means fewer flowers and a leggy shape. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid to semi-arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cold inland or southern districts plant it against a warm wall and expect damage in a hard winter.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. The grafted rootstock widens the range, but wet feet still kill grevilleas, so plant on a raised mound in clay and keep mulch off the stem.

Water and feed. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first summer, then step back. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, because standard garden fertilisers can damage grevillea roots.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flush to keep it compact and encourage more flowers. Rub off any shoots that appear below the graft union or on the trunk, since silky oak rootstock will take over if you let it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold as tube stock, in 140mm pots in packs of ten, and in 250mm pots in packs of three, with tube and 250mm on backorder at present. Tube stock is small and grafted low, so handle the graft union carefully and plant at the depth it grew in the pot. The 140mm plants are the practical middle choice for a bed or a screen run.

Grevilleas travel well, though some leaf drop after transit is normal. Growth is quick once the roots move, and flowers usually come in the first or second season. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Compare the full grevillea range.
• Read about bird attracting native plants for Australian gardens.
• Browse companion Australian native shrubs.
• See more native plants with red flowers.

Common questions

Why buy the grafted form?

Grafting gives the plant a root system that copes with clay, alkaline soil and more moisture than its own roots would tolerate. In many suburban gardens that is the difference between a long lived shrub and a slow decline.

How far apart should I plant it?

Two metres apart for an informal screen or mass planting. Each plant reaches about 3m wide, so tighter spacing means crossing branches and a bare middle.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. Established plants shrug off the occasional white morning, but hard or repeated frost will burn the foliage and can kill young plants.