As the name suggests this is a Grevillea with linear leaves, long skinny leaves which give it a gentle wispy habit. Combined with the pink new growth on the end of each stem, this is a showy species whether in flower or not. Grevillea linearifolia can be found naturally in the Greater Sydney Basin bushland on Sandstone or sandy soils, often as an under storey shrub. There are also some populations south near Nowra and Ulladulla as well as west in Lawson in the Blue Mountains.
I have been growing this Grevillea in raised beds or top top of retaining walls to ensure good drainage. I tend to use it in part shade position and am finding that it still seems to flower prolifically.
The intricate spider flowers are a pinky white with a burgundy centre and appear mainly from August to December but it can flower for most of the year.
Although this Grevillea does prefer a well drained soil, it also appreciates adequate moisture and a regular prune if you like a tidier shape.
I actually prefer its rambling, lightly weeping natural habit, in the image below (on the far right) you can see how dense it can get if left to its own devices.
Grevillea linearifolia works well inter planted with other native shrubs to create a mixed screen or a good under storey for small bird habitat.
In the image above you can see a tangle of Grevillea arenaria and linearifolia, don’t they look great together?
This species grows to around 3mt tall naturally, but may be less in a garden situation, it responds well to pruning so my advice would be to prune it to the shape you desire.
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