Woolly Grevillea Mello Yellow

Woolly Grevillea 'Mello Yellow' (Grevillea lanigera 'Mello Yellow') is a low native groundcover that stays about 40cm high and spreads to 1.2m. The foliage is the draw: soft, narrow, faintly woolly leaves in a dense grey green mat. Cream to yellow spider flowers follow through the cooler months and bring honeyeaters into the garden.

Why you'll love it

• A native mat that stays low. At 40cm by 1.2m it covers ground and softens edges without ever needing to be cut back off a path.
• Genuinely frost hardy. Unlike most grevilleas it handles real frost, which opens it up to cool temperate and inland gardens.
• Birds come for it. Cream to yellow spider flowers through the cooler months are a nectar source when little else is out.
• It asks for nothing. Drought tolerant, happy in poor soil, salt tolerant on the coast, and no feeding regime to remember.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 80cm apart, which is roughly 1.5 plants per square metre. At that spacing the mat closes over in two seasons and shades out most weeds.

Retaining walls and slopes. The spreading habit holds soil on a bank and the stems trail attractively over a wall edge, which is where this plant looks its best.

Rockeries and borders. The fine grey foliage suits a rockery, a native border or the front edge of a garden bed where you want texture rather than height.

Growing woolly grevillea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the densest mat and the most flower. It suits warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens across southern Australia, and it is frost hardy once established. Humid subtropical and tropical summers are its weak point, where root rot becomes a real risk.

Soil. Drainage is everything. Sandy, gravelly and poor soils suit it, and on clay it must go into a raised bed or a mound. Wet feet in winter is the usual cause of sudden death in this plant.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Use a native fertiliser low in phosphorus, sparingly, in early spring. Standard garden fertilisers can damage the roots of a grevillea.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after flowering to keep the mat dense and stop woody centres forming. Avoid cutting back into bare old wood, because it does not reliably reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown as tube stock singly, and in 140mm pots in packs of ten. Tubes are the practical choice for mass planting, since covering a bank at 80cm spacing takes a lot of plants and tube stock establishes fast in native soil. The 140mm plants are further along and suit a smaller bed or a wall edge where you want cover sooner.

Plants travel well packed upright. Plant slightly high, mulch with a coarse gravel or bark rather than a heavy compost, and expect a slow first season followed by rapid spread. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete grevillea care guide
• Browse the full grevillea range
• Compare groundcover plants
• More Australian native shrubs

Common questions

How many plants do I need per square metre?

Around 1.5, planting 80cm apart in a staggered grid. Tighter spacing closes the gap a season sooner but costs more and increases competition for water while the plants establish.

What fertiliser should I use?

A native fertiliser low in phosphorus, applied lightly in early spring. Grevilleas evolved on phosphorus poor soils and standard garden fertilisers can burn the roots and kill an established plant.

Will it handle frost?

Yes. This species is one of the more frost hardy grevilleas and is reliable in cool temperate and inland gardens once its first winter is behind it.

Why did my plant die suddenly in winter?

Almost always drainage. Grevilleas collapse quickly when the roots sit in wet soil through the cold months, so replant on a mound or in a raised bed with grit through the mix.