Grevillea ‘Gin Gin Gem’

Gin Gin Gem (Grevillea 'Gin Gin Gem') is a low spreading native that does the work of a groundcover while flowering like a shrub. It stays around 80cm tall and spreads to about 2m, throwing red and pink toothbrush flowers over fine green foliage for most of the year. Honeyeaters find it within weeks, and once the roots are down it asks for almost nothing.

Why you'll love it

• It covers ground and flowers at once. A 2m spread on a plant only 80cm tall smothers weeds while still carrying a long red and pink display.
• Birds arrive quickly. Nectar rich grevillea flowers are one of the fastest ways to bring honeyeaters into a suburban garden.
• It thrives on neglect. Drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil, so a hot dry bank that kills other plants suits it well.
• It holds a slope. The spreading habit knits across banks and retaining wall tops where mowing is impossible.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1.5m apart for full cover. The plants meet within two seasons, and closer spacing only creates a congested mound that traps humidity.

Retaining walls and slopes. Set plants along the top of a wall and let the growth spill over the face. It softens a hard edge and holds soil that would otherwise wash.

Rockeries and borders. Reflected heat and sharp drainage suit it, and at 80cm it edges a driveway or path without blocking sight lines.

Growing Gin Gin Gem in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. Shade makes it leggy and cuts flowering to almost nothing. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid gardens, and it takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and cold southern districts are a stretch.

Soil. Sharp drainage matters far more than fertility. Sand, gravel and lean soil are ideal. On clay, mound the planting position 200mm above the surrounding grade, because roots sitting wet through winter is what kills grevilleas.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in extended dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring, or none at all. Standard garden fertiliser will damage the roots.

Pruning. Tip prune after each main flush to keep the plant dense. Never cut back into bare leafless wood, because grevilleas are reluctant to reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in tube stock, 140mm packs of ten and 200mm packs of six. Tube stock is the value choice when you are covering an area, and grevilleas establish so quickly from small pots that a tube often catches a larger plant within two years. The 140mm and 200mm plants are already branched and get you to cover a season sooner.

Some leaf drop or a tired look after transit is normal. Plant promptly, water in well, and expect real growth within four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and a 30 day healthy plant guarantee on every plant.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the full grevillea care guide
• Compare the whole grevillea range
• Plants for retaining walls and slopes
• Top bird attracting native plants

Common questions

How many plants do I need?

At 1.5m spacing, one plant covers roughly two square metres once mature. A 10 square metre bank takes about five plants.

Why do grevilleas die suddenly?

Almost always phosphorus or waterlogging. Use a native specific low phosphorus fertiliser, and plant on a raised mound if your soil holds water through winter.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. A brief white morning does no harm to an established plant, but repeated hard frosts damage the growth tips and thin the flowering.

Can I prune it back hard?

No. Tip prune regularly instead. Once a stem is bare and woody, cutting into it usually leaves a dead stub rather than new growth.