Winpara Gold Grevillea

Winpara Gold Grevillea (Grevillea thelemanniana x olivacea 'Winpara Gold') is a low spreading native that covers ground fast and flowers for most of the year. It reaches about 1.2m tall and 2.5m wide, forming a soft mound of grey green foliage lit with apricot gold spider flowers. Honeyeaters work it daily once it settles in.

Why you'll love it

• A very long flowering season. Yellow to orange spider flowers appear over most of the year rather than in one short burst.
• Wider than it is tall. At 1.2m by 2.5m it covers ground without blocking a view or a window.
• Honeyeater magnet. Small nectar birds feed on it constantly, which brings bird life into a new garden quickly.
• Tough where other shrubs sulk. Drought tolerant, poor soil tolerant and salt tolerant, so thin sandy ground and coastal blocks suit it.
• Fast to establish. A quick grower that fills its allotted space within about two seasons.

Where it works best

Groundcover and mass planting. Plant 1.5m apart for a dense carpet. At that spacing the mounds knit together without crowding each other into bare centres.

Retaining walls and slopes. The spreading habit spills over an edge and the roots hold loose soil, which makes it a sound pick for a batter or a wall top nobody wants to mow.

Coastal gardens. Salt tolerance and the grey foliage both suit a coastal palette, and it mixes easily with other hardy natives on a sandy block.

Growing Winpara Gold in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, always. Shade makes it leggy and cuts flowering right back. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, Mediterranean and arid or semi-arid gardens, and takes light frost only, so hard frosting inland and cool southern districts are a stretch.

Soil. Drainage matters far more than fertility. It is happy on poor sandy or gravelly ground and will not forgive wet feet, so mound the bed on clay and keep mulch thin and clear of the stems.

Water and feed. Water weekly through the first summer, then only in long dry spells. Use a low phosphorus native fertiliser once in early spring; standard garden fertiliser can damage grevillea roots.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly after each main flush to keep it compact. Do not cut back into bare old wood, because grevilleas of this type rarely reshoot from it.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes as tube stock, in 140mm packs of ten, and in 200mm packs of six. Tube stock is the value option for a large slope or verge, and because this grows fast the head start of a bigger pot matters less than with slow shrubs. The 200mm plants are already branching and give cover in the first season.

Young plants arrive compact and can look sparse, normal for something that spreads sideways before it bulks up. Expect new growth within a month in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the full grevillea care guide
• Compare varieties in the grevillea collection
• Browse other groundcover plants
• See more plants for retaining walls and slopes

Common questions

How many do I need per square metre?

At 1.5m spacing you need roughly one plant for every two square metres. Closer planting closes over faster but the mounds shade each other and thin out at the base.

Will it survive frost?

Light frost only. An occasional light frost in a warm temperate or Mediterranean garden is fine once it is established, but repeated hard frosts will burn it back.

Can I keep it low and tidy?

Yes, with light tip pruning after each flush. Never cut into bare old wood, since it does not reliably shoot from there and you will be left with a gap.

Which fertiliser is safe to use?

A low phosphorus native blend, once in early spring. High phosphorus fertilisers and manures are the most common cause of sudden decline in grevilleas.