Kimberley Gold Grevillea

Kimberley Gold Grevillea (Grevillea 'Kimberley Gold') is a fast growing native shrub that carries golden yellow and orange flowers for much of the year and brings honeyeaters in from streets away. It reaches about 1.5m tall and 2m wide, spreading wider than it is tall, which makes it one of the better plants for covering a slope or softening the top of a retaining wall.

Why you'll love it

• Birds arrive within weeks. The yellow and orange spider flowers hold nectar through most of the year, so honeyeaters and lorikeets treat it as a fixed stop.
• Fast cover on difficult ground. A 2m spread on a 1.5m frame fills a bank quickly and shades out weeds while it does it.
• It shrugs off the hard stuff. Drought tolerant, heat tolerant, salt tolerant and comfortable in poor soil, so it earns its place on a dry western slope.
• Almost no maintenance. One tip prune a year keeps it dense. It needs no watering once established and no rich feeding at all.

Where it works best

Mass planting and slopes. Plant 1.5m apart for mass planting. At that spacing the plants knit into continuous cover in two seasons, which is what holds soil on a bank.

Coastal gardens. Salt tolerance and heat tolerance make it a reliable front garden shrub within sight of the water, where softer plants burn.

Borders and low feature planting. A single plant works as a low informal shrub along a fence line, a driveway edge or a wide native border.

Growing Kimberley Gold Grevillea in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, all day. It suits tropical, subtropical, warm temperate and arid or semi arid gardens. It takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland districts, the tablelands and cold southern gardens are outside its range.

Soil. Drainage matters far more than fertility, and it is genuinely happy in poor, sandy or gravelly ground. On clay, plant on a raised mound. Use a coarse mulch and keep it off the stem.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer only, then let it go. Feed with a low phosphorus native fertiliser or nothing at all. Standard garden fertilisers are high in phosphorus and will kill a grevillea.

Pruning. Tip prune after the main flush, taking up to a third of the new growth. Regular light pruning keeps it compact, but avoid cutting back into bare old wood, which is slow to reshoot.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in one size, an established 300mm pot, so each plant already has a branched framework and is usually carrying some flower. For a mass planting that is a genuine head start over tube stock, because the ground cover closes a season sooner.

Plants are packed to travel upright and settle quickly. Expect a quiet fortnight, then new growth within four to six weeks in warm weather, and rapid spread through the first full season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the grevillea care guide for pruning and feeding detail.
• Compare varieties in the grevillea collection.
• See other plants for retaining walls and slopes.
• Browse more bird attracting plants for a native garden.

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it?

Allow 1.5m between plants for a mass planting. Closer spacing does not close the gap faster and makes access for pruning awkward once the plants meet.

Will it handle frost?

Light frost only. A cold snap on the coast or in a mild inland garden will not hurt an established plant, but repeated hard frosts will.

What fertiliser should I use?

A native specific low phosphorus fertiliser, or none. Grevilleas evolved on phosphorus poor soils and a standard complete fertiliser can kill them outright.

Can I keep it smaller than 1.5m?

Yes. Tip pruning two or three times a year after each flush holds it around 1m and keeps the habit tight, at the cost of some flower.