Grevillea Loopy Lou

Grevillea 'Loopy Lou' (Grevillea hybrid 'Loopy Lou') is a low, wide native shrub that flowers for most of the year and asks for almost nothing in return. It settles at about 1m tall and 1.5m across, spreading into a soft mound rather than climbing, and the curled pink and red toothbrush flowers carry nectar that honeyeaters find within days. Once established it is drought tolerant, salt tolerant and content in poor soil.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers across most of the year. The pink and red toothbrush blooms come in waves rather than one short burst, with the heaviest flush in the cooler months.
• Wider than it is tall. At roughly 1m by 1.5m it covers ground and suppresses weeds without blocking a view or a window.
• Built for hard sites. Drought, heat and salt tolerant, and happy in poor sandy soil, so coastal and dry inland gardens suit it.
• A bird and bee magnet. Honeyeaters feed on the nectar and bees work the flowers, so it is a genuine wildlife plant rather than a native by label alone.

Where it works best

Mass planting and groundcover. Plant 1m apart. At that spacing the plants knit into continuous cover in about two seasons, which is the quickest way to retire a difficult patch of lawn or a hot embankment.

Borders, rockeries and pots. The spreading habit softens the front of a bed, drapes over rock walls, and spills over the rim of a 400mm pot of free draining native mix. Keep it 60cm back from a path edge.

Growing Grevillea 'Loopy Lou' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, and plenty of it, because shade makes growth leggy and cuts the flowering. It performs in warm temperate, subtropical, Mediterranean and arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so cold inland and hard frosting southern gardens need a warm sheltered aspect or a hardier native instead.

Soil. Drainage matters more than fertility. Poor, sandy and gravelly soils are ideal; heavy clay is not, so plant on a raised mound opened up with coarse sand.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser in early spring and avoid standard garden blends, because phosphorus damages grevillea roots.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each flush to keep the mound dense. It does not reshoot reliably from bare old wood, so trim little and often.

What to expect when it arrives

Plants come as tube stock, in 140mm pots sold in packs of 10, and in 200mm pots sold in packs of 6. Tube stock is young and inexpensive, which makes it the sensible choice for a large mass planting: a season slower to cover ground, but quick to establish. The 140mm and 200mm plants are branched and often already carrying buds.

Grevilleas travel well, though some leaf bronzing after transit is normal. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete grevillea care guide
• Browse the full grevillea range
• Compare other groundcover plants
• Native plants that bring birds into the garden

Common questions

How many do I need to cover a bed?

At 1m spacing, roughly one plant per square metre. Tighter than that wastes plants and makes the centre of the planting hard to water in the first year.

Why should I avoid normal fertiliser?

Grevilleas evolved on low phosphorus Australian soils, and their roots take up more than they can handle from standard blends, which shows as yellowing and dieback. A native fertiliser in early spring is all it needs.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. An established plant handles a few degrees below zero, but repeated heavy frosts will kill it. In cold districts grow it in a pot you can move under cover.