Poorinda Royal Mantle grevillea

Sun

Full sun to light partial shade; flowers most freely in full sun.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then deeply during prolonged dry spells. Let the soil drain and begin drying between waterings.

Soil

Well-drained sandy or loamy soil, preferably slightly acidic to neutral. Avoid waterlogged ground, heavily enriched beds and high-phosphorus fertilizers.

Height

6-12 in (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

10-20 ft (3-6 m)

Flowers

Red toothbrush-shaped flower clusters, mainly in winter and spring, with scattered flowers at other times in mild climates.

Foliage

Evergreen. Leathery green leaves, variable from mostly entire to lobed, with conspicuous bronze-red young growth.

Growth

Fast once established.

Care needed

Low

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

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

Difficulty

Hard

Toughness

Fairly tough

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

1. Planting day

   0.2 ft (0.06 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.5 ft (0.16 m)

3. After 2 years

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 2 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, allowing excess water to drain away.
• Plant on a bank or raised mound if your soil drains slowly.
• Feed sparingly, using only a low-phosphorus fertilizer suitable for Australian native plants.
• Apply a light mulch, keeping it clear of the main stem.
• Allow several metres of spreading room and keep branches off paths.
• Protect young plants from hard frost and cold, drying winds.

Pruning. Lightly trim spreading shoots after the main flowering flush to encourage dense growth and keep the plant within bounds. Avoid hard cuts into old, bare wood, which may not regrow reliably.

Spring

Plant after damaging frosts have passed, especially in cooler districts.

After the main flowering flush

Lightly shorten long shoots and remove dead or damaged branches.

Summer

Check newly planted specimens regularly and water deeply when the root zone starts to dry.

Early autumn

Plant in mild, frost-light districts so roots can establish before summer heat.

Autumn

Clear blocked drainage and keep fallen leaves from accumulating around the crown.

Winter

Protect young plants during hard frosts and avoid watering already wet soil.

• Cover broad sunny banks with a low evergreen carpet.
• Let branches cascade over retaining walls and terrace edges.
• Use beneath widely spaced shrubs in an Australian native planting.
• Combine with upright grasses and strappy-leaved plants for contrasting shapes.
• Use as a broad foreground plant in mild-climate coastal gardens away from direct salt spray.

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

Plant it with: Lomandra, Flax lily, Kangaroo paw, Westringia, Bottlebrush and Correa.

Wildlife: Nectar-rich flowers attract honeyeaters in Australia and other nectar-feeding birds where present, as well as visiting insects. The dense mat offers low cover for small animals.

• Root rot in wet soil: improve drainage before planting, keep the crown above surrounding soil level and avoid frequent irrigation.
• Yellowing or damaged foliage after feeding: stop high-phosphorus fertilizers and use a formulation intended for phosphorus-sensitive Australian natives.
• Frost damage: shelter young plants and wait until spring growth begins before removing damaged shoots.
• Excessive spread: allow adequate space and trim young extension growth before it overruns neighbouring plants or paths.

Not known to be poisonous to cats, dogs, horses or people, although ingestion data for this cultivar are limited. Grevillea foliage and sap can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive people; wear gloves when pruning and do not treat any part as edible.

• Laurel-leaf grevillea (Grevillea laurifolia)

  Also forms a trailing groundcover with red toothbrush flowers, but generally has broader, mostly unlobed leaves; Royal Mantle commonly carries a mixture of entire and lobed leaves.

• Mount Tamboritha woolly grevillea (Grevillea lanigera 'Mount Tamboritha')

  Has much smaller, narrow, grey-green hairy leaves and pink-and-cream flowers, rather than Royal Mantle's larger green leaves and red toothbrush flower clusters.

Grevillea honours Charles Francis Greville, an English plant collector and patron of botany.

Propagation. Take semi-ripe cuttings from healthy, non-flowering shoots in late summer or early autumn. Cuttings preserve the cultivar; seed will not reliably produce the same plant.

Accepted botanical name

Grevillea

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