Peaches and Cream grevillea

Sun

Full sun gives the most flowers; tolerates light partial shade.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then deeply during extended dry spells. Allow the soil to drain and partly dry between waterings.

Soil

Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, preferably slightly acidic to neutral and low in phosphorus. Avoid waterlogged ground and heavily fertilised beds.

Height

5-6.5 ft (1.5-2 m)

Spread

5-6.5 ft (1.5-2 m)

Flowers

Cream flower clusters age to peach and pink; flowering can occur through much of the year in mild climates, with stronger flushes from spring to autumn.

Foliage

Evergreen. Deeply divided green leaves give a fine, fern-like texture; new growth may have bronze tones.

Growth

Moderate to fast in warm conditions.

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Wildlife
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1.6 ft (0.5 m)

2. After 1 year

   2.7 ft (0.81 m)

3. After 2 years

   4 ft (1.1 m)

4. After 3 years

   5 ft (1.4 m)

5. After 5 years

   6 ft (1.8 m)

   full size

About 4 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply through the first growing season, adjusting frequency to rainfall and drainage.
• Use fertiliser only if needed, choosing a low-phosphorus product labelled for Australian native plants.
• Apply a light organic mulch, keeping it clear of the stem base.
• Plant on a raised mound if drainage is slow; do not leave container plants standing in water.
• Protect young plants from frost. In colder parts of the UK, Canada and the United States, grow in a container and overwinter somewhere bright and frost-free.

Pruning. Lightly trim after a main flowering flush in spring or early summer to keep the shrub dense, removing spent flower stems and shortening leafy shoots. Avoid hard cuts into old, leafless wood, and wear gloves if grevilleas irritate your skin.

Spring

Plant after the risk of damaging frost has passed, in a sunny position with excellent drainage.

Spring

Check mulch and apply a small amount of low-phosphorus native-plant fertiliser only if growth indicates a need.

Early summer

Lightly trim after a flowering flush to encourage branching.

Summer

Water young plants deeply during dry weather; check containers more often than plants in the ground.

Autumn

Plant in mild, frost-light climates while the soil remains warm; avoid heavy pruning before winter.

Winter

Protect from hard frost and keep overwintering containers bright, cool and free from waterlogging.

• Use as a flowering focal shrub in a sunny Australian-native planting.
• Combine with fine-leaved grasses and strappy foliage for contrasting textures.
• Plant in a loose, informal screen where its full width can develop.
• Grow in a large, freely draining container on a sunny patio where winter shelter is available.

Garden styles it suits: Australian native, Wildlife garden, Coastal, Mediterranean, Dry gravel garden and Low-maintenance.

Plant it with: Kangaroo paw, Westringia, Lomandra, Dianella, Waxflower and Bottlebrush.

Wildlife: Nectar-rich flowers attract honeyeaters in Australia and may attract hummingbirds where these occur in North America. Bees also visit the flowers, and the dense foliage offers cover for small birds.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage before planting, avoid overwatering and replace badly affected plants in a better-drained position.
• Phosphorus toxicity, causing yellowing and leaf scorch: stop general-purpose fertilisers and manure applications; use only suitable low-phosphorus feeds.
• Frost damage to shoots: shelter young plants, use horticultural fleece during brief cold spells and remove dead growth once frost risk has passed.
• Scale insects: inspect stems and leaf undersides, remove small infestations by hand and use a labelled horticultural oil if necessary, following temperature restrictions.

This cultivar is not known to be poisonous to cats, dogs, horses or people, but cultivar-specific ingestion data are limited. Grevillea foliage and other plant material can cause contact dermatitis in susceptible people; wear gloves when pruning. Do not treat the flowers or nectar as food.

• Robyn Gordon grevillea (Grevillea 'Robyn Gordon')

  Has a similar bushy habit and divided leaves, but its flower clusters are predominantly red rather than cream ageing to peach.

• Superb grevillea (Grevillea 'Superb')

  Produces stronger coral-orange and pink flower clusters; 'Peaches and Cream' usually shows a more obvious pale cream stage.

• Moonlight grevillea (Grevillea 'Moonlight')

  Usually becomes a substantially taller shrub or small tree, with pale cream flowers that lack the pronounced peach-pink ageing.

Grevillea honours the British plant collector Charles Francis Greville, while 'Peaches and Cream' describes the changing flower colours.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings during the warm growing season, using a very free-draining propagation mix. Cuttings preserve the cultivar; seedlings will not reliably match the parent.

Accepted botanical name

Grevillea

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.