User Profile

John Elton

Want to grow something special?

By John Elton of Illawarra Grevillea Park With housing blocks getting smaller so too are gardens. A need to maximise space means that owners have to be judicious and often creative about plant choice. But they still want something that is special or...

John Elton

April 2025

Science & Nature

See new Grevillea ‘Emerald and Ruby’ at Spring Open Days

This stunning plant doesn’t mind water-logged gardens. New on the market, this Grevillea has dark green fern-like foliage and with contrasting bright red flowers which appear as clusters on the ends of branches. Its peak flowering period is...

John Elton

August 2024

Science & Nature

Pick the right plant for your garden at the Grevillea Park

Go to any nursery and you will see large colourful labels designed to entice the buyer. Only the best flowers are used and even then, they may be enlarged and photoshopped. Names such as Peaches and Cream, Goliath and Golden Lyre are evocative and...

John Elton

June 2024

Science & Nature

New track to giant of Vine Forest at Illawarra Grevillea Park Botanic Garden

Enter the Vine Forest at the Illawarra Grevillea Park Botanic Garden and you will find a magnificent blackbutt tree believed to be more than 150 years old. Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis) gets its name from the rough bark at the tree base which is...

John Elton

April 2024

Science & Nature

Sneak peek at Bulli beauties ahead of Illawarra Grevillea Park Botanic Garden open days

Grevillea ‘Bulli Beauty’, Grevillea ‘Bulli Princess’ and Grevillea ‘Bulli Envy’. What do these stunning beauties have in common? Well, they are native plants that were developed here in the Illawarra by the Illawarra Grevillea Park...

John Elton

August 2023

Science & Nature

Explore the Grevillea Park at winter open days

What better way to brighten up a Winter’s day than to visit the Illawarra Grevillea Park Botanic Garden. It’s amazing how much colour can be seen when you explore the acres of display gardens. One of the most fascinating flowers at this time of...

John Elton

June 2023

Science & Nature

Autumn at the Grevillea Park

A walk around the Park will reveal many different varieties of banksia. Flower colour ranges from golden yellow, to orange and red. There is even a gunmetal cone that belongs to Banksia plagiocarp

John Elton

April 2023

News

Bulli welcomes new Botanic Garden

On 12 August, Her Excellency, Margaret Beazley, the Governor of NSW unveiled the plaque renaming the park to the delight of guests and volunteers.

John Elton

August 2022

Science & Nature

Grevilleas defy the odds

Some natives survived the big wet, writes John Elton of Illawarra Grevillea Park I doubt there was a single garden in the Illawarra that didn’t suffer in the drenching through summer and autumn. But some plants defied the odds and are looking as...

John Elton

June 2022

Science & Nature

Banksia time at Grevillea Park

By John Elton of Illawarra Grevillea Park Banksias always make a stunning statement in autumn at the Grevillea Park. The easiest to grow in the Illawarra are Banksia spinulosa and Banksia ericifolia. Both have different forms, from ground covers to...

John Elton

April 2022

Science & Nature

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...

John Elton

October 2021