I used to  have a very small appreciation for Grevilleas, especially the larger flowering species but I have mellowed and now am finding more and more of them appealing. I tend to go for the rarer flower shapes  often  from WA or South Australia but  often now I am drawn towards a Grevillea with a great habit whose flowers are vibrant and wildlife attracting especially in the cooler months.

Enter Grevillea ‘Billy Bonkers’ which I’m sure half the appeal is held within its name 😉 Grevillea ‘Billy Bonkers’ is a grafted grevillea with a wide spreading, weeping habit, it can reach upto about 1 metre high x 1.5 wide, but looks and flowers best when it is maintained a little smaller than that.

In the image above there is actually two of them planted side by side you can see where they are growing into each other on the right. Grevillea ‘Billy Bonkers is grafted onto Grevillea robusta root stock so should grow anywhere that is protected from harsh frosts, it also flowers year round making it a perfect feature shrub.

There is another Grafted Grevillea that has identical bright pink showy flowers and ferny leaf and is equally hardy but it will grow about a metre taller, it is called ‘Lana Maree’.

Grevillea ‘Lana Maree’ can be seen in the image above, this shrub makes a great screening plant and also looks good popping up behind other mounding natives in the foreground. So bring in the larger flowering Grevilleas where appropriate, it is a good idea to seperate them from areas in your garden where smaller birds frequent, as they will attract the more boisterous and often territorial birds.