Buzz about grevilleas

The Sydney Basin area, which includes the Illawarra Grevillea Park Botanic Garden, is home to some absolutely lovely grevilleas. They are not the big, showy tropical grevilleas that people know and love.

Rather they are plants that grow in more difficult conditions and usually are smaller in size, but just attractive. Our small birds adore them. Many have spider flowers that often cover the whole bush to provide a stunning spring time display. They are great rockery plants and can also be used as understorey plants. Colours range from red to shades of pink, cream and even green. 

The best of these can be seen in the Illawarra Grevillea Park this spring. Some, like Grevillea parviflora, rosemarinifolia and caylei, are rare and endangered and so getting them into gardens is critical. The park has therefore propagated some of these plants and it is now virtually the only place to get hold of them.

So next time you think about planting something in the garden, why not try one of the Sydney Basin grevilleas.

The 40-acre park includes display gardens, picnic areas, a rainforest walk and dam, a sensory trail, and a vine forest walk featuring a giant blackbutt tree. It will hold Spring Open Days from 10am to 4pm on September 5, 6, 12 and 13. 

Visit illawarragrevilleapark.com.au