Bringing the West to the Illawarra

By John Elton, of Bulli’s Illawarra Grevillea Park

Western Australia is home to some of our most spectacular plants. Thanks to grafting we can now grow many of these wonderful plants in our gardens. This is done by putting the desirable plant on a rootstock that will take our wet humid conditions here on the east coast. For grevilleas, plants are usually grafted onto Grevillea robusta, the Silky Oak. The result can be stunning and more and more are being seen in our gardens.

Grevillea flexusosa is one such shrub. Growing to 3 metres, it is smothered for several months in fragrant bright creamy yellow flowers. It is sometimes called the zig zag grevillea because of its unique foliage. It will grow quickly and reward one with a stunning display in no time. Our small birds, like the eastern spinebill, absolutely love the nectar and the protection provide by the plant.

With Western Australian grevilleas we are now spoilt for choice, so why not try one or many! The best place to see grafted plants is at the Illawarra Grevillea Park, which will have a special open weekend on October 30 and 31.

For details, go our Facebook page or website, illawarragrevilleapark.com.au