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Choice of grevillea
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Posted by matthew_72 NSW Aust (My Page) on Thu, Jan 20, 05 at 1:42
I have just unfortunately had to remove a couple of very leggy Grevilleas which the birds love.
Am now looking to put in new Grevilleas that are bird attracting (predominantly for the rainbow lorikeets), that are pretty bushy and can be used as an informal hedge/screen (ie pruned to shape). Upto 2 metres.
I was thinking G. 'Orange Marmalade' or G. 'Ivanhoe'.
Any thoughts or experience with these? Alternatives? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Choice of grevillea
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- Posted by Popi NSW Aust (My Page) on
Thu, Jan 20, 05 at 4:00
| Rainbow lorikeets seem to also like banksias, in my neck of the woods. Popi |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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| Matthew, Grevillea "Honey Gem", G. "Pink Surprise" G. banksii are all loved by the birds and flower for extended periods if not all year around. The trick to stop them getting leggy is to prune them at least once a year; cut back by 30%. Since you plan to hedge the plants, that would do the trick. Cheers,
Frank |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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- Posted by roysta Gosford NSW (My Page) on
Thu, Jan 20, 05 at 7:32
| Do you find the noisy minors are a problem? |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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- Posted by pos02 NSW Aust (My Page) on
Thu, Jan 20, 05 at 17:08
| The birds seem to like all grevilleas, but I suppose if you go for the ones with the larger flowers, they will be more attracted (as they are in my garden). If you keep pruning the dead flower heads as the flowers die, then give a couple of light prunes during the year, you will have plants with lots of flowers, and a nice bushy habit. If they do get leggy, just chop them back, and they will grow back. |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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orange marmalade would need a h*** of a lot of pruning, I would imagine, to make it bushy enough for a hedge. "superb" is a good dense one that doesn't grow too big.
Tony |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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| hi roysta, the noisy minors are certainly around but the noise and the presence of the lorikeets and the magpies more than make up for it. |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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I agree with Tony re the Orange Marmalade - though I have seen it hedged. Mine took a while to settle in and was initially a bit straggly, but a few prunings bushed it up a lot. I do like the leaves on this grevillea.
Superb is good, as is Ned Kelly.
The noisy miners and various wattle birds like all my grevilleas - the marmalade flowers are smaller though.
The labels usually mention if they are recommended for hedging.
There is a huge amount of info about grevilleas available on google.
If you want the lorikeets to visit, you could always put out some food for them while your hedges grow. |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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| My vote is for Orange Marmalade, despite its less bushy habit - fantastic foliage and small, distinctive flowers, combined with a sensational growth rate. Although its not a 2m shrub, I just want to put in a plug for another Grevillea I have had fantastic results with : Stenomera Prostrate. I am very taken with the foliage on this Grevillea, and it has outpaced everything else in the bed it resides in : very highly recommended. |
RE: Grevillea 'stenomera'
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artiew,
Grevillea "stenomera" prostrate is indeed a fantastic plant, but the nursery industries inexplicable yet deeply ingrained misnamimg of the plant is very frustrating! The real G stenomera is not closely related to the prostrate plant you have bought, and in fact looks nothing like it, as the photos in the link below show!
Your plant is in fact G pinaster, prostrate form.
Don't know how they mixed them up or why they continue to! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Will the real G stenomera please stand up...
RE: Choice of grevillea
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- Posted by roysta Gosford NSW (My Page) on
Fri, Jan 28, 05 at 5:37
Hey, isn't the G. stenomera (prostrate) a beauty.
I have two in a rockery garden and they are nothing short of brilliant.
I haven't been the biggest fan of Grevilleas but my wife's talked me round and I put in a "Misty Pink" a few days ago.
It looks fabulous.
I'm now thinking of another G. that grows to a max. of 3m.
Any ideas?
Gosford is humid. Roy |
RE: Choice of grevillea
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| firesprite is pretty good - nice screening plant, small red flowers, thin leaves - enjoys a trim. |
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