I am not a massive fan of the larger flower spike type of Grevilleas species, I often associate them with attracting noisy miners and rainbow lorikeets, not desirable native birds for me. However, this Winter I have had two Grevillea ‘Amber Blaze’ specimens take my breath away.

 

The photos in this blog post are of a specimen I planted in my mum’s garden a year ago, when I put it in the ground it was a spindly pathetic looking thing, now look at it!

In the image above you can see it mingling with Hakea ‘Burrendong Beauty’, I say mingling but really they are battling it out for space, both inclined to spread. Grevillea ‘Amber Blaze’ can get to 2.5 metres wide and unto 1 metre high. I have never seen it get that high though, I prune off any unruly branches but they seem to maintain a nice dense low habit.

 

The foliage is a soft grey green with bronze new growth, quite decorative in it own right. The flowers are bright orange and yellow and tend to be very rich in nectar.

 

As a ground cover they are wonderful as a weed suppressant and will grow n full sun and part shade, they like a well drained soil and a regular prune, especially if you spot borer moth amongst the foliage.

 

Choose a position with lots of room, they look great growing down a slope or on a rockery amongst boulders. Give them an occasional tip prune to keep them dense and they will reward you with many bright, happy blooms.

 

Plant them with other ground covers with contrasting leaves and different flowering colours, and enjoy 🙂