Grevillea ‘Apricot Hots’

Grevillea 'Apricot Hots' (Grevillea 'Apricot Hots') is a fast growing native shrub that reaches roughly 1.5m tall and 1.5m wide, carrying apricot and yellow toothbrush flowers over a long season. It is the shrub that does the work in a low water garden: drought tolerant, salt tolerant, happy in poor soil, and quick to fill a gap in a bed.

Why you'll love it

• Birds arrive quickly. The nectar rich flowers pull honeyeaters and native bees into suburban gardens, often within the first season.
• Warm apricot and yellow tones. The colour sits well against grey foliage natives and warm brick, and the flowering runs over months rather than weeks.
• Fast to fill a space. A tough, quick shrub that covers bare ground in a new garden while slower plants settle in.
• Very low input. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant, poor soil tolerant and salt tolerant. Once established it needs almost nothing beyond a light prune.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1m apart for a continuous low thicket that suppresses weeds on a bank or along a fence line. At that spacing the plants knit together by the second season.

Borders and coastal gardens. Its 1.5m height suits the middle of a border, and genuine salt tolerance means it holds up on exposed coastal blocks where softer shrubs burn.

Feature planting and pots. A single plant makes a low informal feature, and a 500mm pot of gritty native mix will carry one on a hot driveway edge.

Growing grevillea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, with good air movement around the plant. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens, which covers most of the mainland. It takes light frost only, so in cold inland districts and the southern tablelands it needs a sheltered warm position rather than an open bed.

Soil. Sharp drainage is the one non negotiable. Grevilleas rot in wet clay, so plant on a raised mound with coarse sand or gravel worked through, and mulch with a chunky mulch kept clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water deeply once a week through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, or skip feeding altogether. Standard garden fertilisers can damage the roots.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flowering flush, taking the spent flower heads and a little of the wood behind them. Regular light pruning keeps it dense and stops the centre opening up. Avoid cutting back into bare old wood.

What to expect when it arrives

This grevillea is grown in tube stock and 250mm pots sold in packs of three. Tubes arrive young at around 15cm to 25cm and suit a mass planting, since grevilleas establish faster from small stock than from large. The 250mm plants are branched and roughly knee height.

Expect some leaf drop in transit and water the day they land. New growth usually starts within four to six weeks in warm weather, with the first serious flowering in the second season. 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

• Grevillea care guide: soil, feeding and pruning
• Browse the full grevillea range
• More drought tolerant plants for low water gardens
• Bird attracting plants for Australian gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One metre apart for mass planting. The plants meet by the second season and shade out most weeds without needing a groundcover underneath.

Why do grevilleas die after a year or two?

Two usual causes: poor drainage and phosphorus. Plant on a mound in gritty soil, and use only a low phosphorus native fertiliser. Overwatering an established plant is the third mistake.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. In districts with regular heavy frosts, plant it against a north facing wall or under high canopy, and expect some tip burn after a cold snap.