Grevillea ‘Charlie’s Angel’

Grevillea Charlie's Angel (Grevillea 'Charlie's Angel') is a low spreading native that flowers pink and brings honeyeaters into a small garden. It sits at about 1m tall and spreads to roughly 1.5m, so it covers ground and softens the top of a wall rather than becoming a shrub you have to keep cutting back. Full sun, sharp drainage and one low phosphorus feed a year is the entire brief.

Why you'll love it

• Honeyeaters arrive with the flowers. Pink nectar rich flower heads bring small honeyeaters and wattlebirds in within the first flowering season.
• Wider than it is tall. At around 1m high and 1.5m across it fills horizontal space, which is what a bank or a wide front bed needs.
• Drought and poor soil tolerant. Once established it lives on rainfall in most temperate gardens, and prefers lean soil to an improved bed.
• Coastal ready. Salt tolerant, so it holds up in a front garden near the sea.
• Very little maintenance. A light trim after each flush is the whole job.

Where it works best

Mass planting. Plant 1.2m apart, centre to centre. The plants meet within two seasons and shade out most weeds underneath.

Retaining walls and slopes. The spreading habit lets it tumble over the face of a wall, and the roots hold soil on a batter where lawn will not establish.

Coastal and small gardens. Low, wide and salt tolerant suits an exposed front yard, and the modest height will not block a window or a view.

Growing Grevillea Charlie's Angel in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun all day; shade produces a thin plant with few flowers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and tableland gardens are a risk, and wet tropical summers encourage root problems.

Soil. Drainage decides whether this plant lives. Sandy and gravelly soils are ideal. On clay, plant on a raised mound at least 300mm high, and keep coarse mulch clear of the crown, because mulch against the stem invites collar rot.

Water and feed. Deep soak weekly through the first two summers, then taper right off. Feed only with a low phosphorus native fertiliser. Complete fertilisers, manures and mushroom compost are high in phosphorus and can kill the plant outright.

Pruning. Tip prune from planting to build density, then trim lightly after each flush. Never remove more than about a third at a time, and never cut into bare leafless wood, which grevilleas rarely reshoot from.

What to expect when it arrives

This one is grown as tubestock, sold as single plants: a young plant with a strong root system in a narrow pot, well under knee height. It is a slower start than a potted shrub, and the reason a bank of twenty plants is affordable.

Grevilleas ship well, so some leaf drop in transit is normal rather than a fault. Plant into dry ground rather than a soaked bed, and allow two seasons to reach the full 1.5m spread. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read our complete grevillea care guide before planting.
• Compare varieties across the full grevillea range.
• See what else suits a batter in plants for retaining walls and slopes.
• Browse more bird attracting plants for the same bed.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

One point two metres apart, centre to centre. Each plant spreads to about 1.5m, so they knit together without smothering one another.

Why can't I use ordinary fertiliser?

Grevilleas are extremely sensitive to phosphorus. A complete fertiliser, poultry manure or mushroom compost will yellow the foliage and can kill the plant. Use a native blend labelled low phosphorus, once in early spring.

Can I keep it smaller than 1.5m wide?

To a point. Light trims after each flush hold it a little tighter, but it is naturally a spreader, and cutting into bare wood to contain it usually leaves a gap that never fills.