Grevillea ‘Ivory Whip’ Grafted

Grevillea 'Ivory Whip' (Grevillea 'Ivory Whip') is the cream flowered grevillea to plant where other grevilleas have already failed. It reaches about 3m tall and 2.5m wide, opens long ivory toothbrush flowers that honeyeaters work over daily, and because it is grafted onto hardy rootstock it tolerates the heavier soils that kill grevilleas grown on their own roots. In a garden with clay in it, the graft is the reason to choose this plant.

Why you'll love it

• Grafted for difficult soil. The hardy rootstock makes it far more reliable in heavier eastern state soils, where ungrafted grevilleas often collapse in their second or third year.
• Birds every day. The ivory flower spikes hold nectar that honeyeaters and wattlebirds return for, so the plant brings movement as well as colour.
• Built for hard conditions. Fast growing, drought tolerant, heat tolerant, comfortable in poor soil and salt tolerant enough for a coastal block.

Where it works best

Screening and privacy. Plant 2m apart for an informal screen. This is a loose, open screen rather than a clipped hedge, so it filters a view and softens a fence line instead of forming a solid wall.

Coastal gardens. Salt and drought tolerance together make it one of the safer natives for a beachside block, particularly on sandy free draining soils.

Feature and mass planting. A single plant carries the flowering beside a driveway entry, or set several at the same 2m spacing across a bank.

Growing Grevillea 'Ivory Whip' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, without qualification, because shade thins the plant and cuts the flowering hard. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean, and arid and semi-arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland districts, the tablelands and hard frosting southern gardens are not the right home for it.

Soil. Drainage still matters even with the graft. On clay, plant on a raised mound 200mm to 300mm high rather than digging a deep hole that holds water. Rub off any shoots below the graft union, or the rootstock will take over.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then step right back, because established plants want far less than most gardeners give them. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, never a standard garden fertiliser.

Pruning. Prune after each flowering flush, taking up to a third of the growth. Always cut back to a point that still carries leaves, since grevilleas reshoot poorly from bare wood.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: tube stock, and a 200mm pack of six. Tube stock is a young single stemmed plant and the value option for a long run, since grevilleas of this type establish fast. The 200mm pack of six is the practical choice for a screen, covering roughly 10m at 2m spacing, already branched and a season ahead.

Expect a quiet few weeks after planting, then strong growth once the weather warms. Plants are packed to travel upright and 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
• Native plants that bring birds into the garden
• Salt tolerant plants for coastal blocks
• Compare screening plants in the 2m to 4m range

Common questions

What does grafted mean, and why does it cost more?

The flowering variety is joined onto the roots of a tougher species, so you get the flowers of one and the soil tolerance of the other. In heavy soils that is often the difference between a plant that lives and one that does not.

How far apart for a screen?

Two metres apart in a single row. That gives an informal screen at around 3m tall within a few seasons, with each plant keeping the open branching habit that suits this grevillea.

Can I use ordinary fertiliser on it?

No. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser instead. Standard garden and lawn fertilisers carry phosphorus at levels that damage grevilleas, and the symptoms often show up months after the application.