Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo' my favorite plant in the garden, this week…

I’m kind of obsessed with Grevillea juniperina 'Molonglo' and truthfully this plant could be my favorite just about any week, it never looks bad. So why this plant now? Because this is what I’m currently seeing out my front door…

Naturally the sun isn’t always hitting it just so but when it does, well the Grevillea shines a little extra, like a beautiful grass-green carpet.

I bought my plants at Cistus and planted them the summer of 2011. Here’s what they looked like a couple months after planting.

For some reason I thought I needed three plants. I guess I didn't really believe it when the tag said 10 ft wide?....

“A ground covering grevillea, to 2 ft tall x 10 ft wide adorned with deep gold flowers from fall through spring and occasionally beyond. Evergreen, it is dense and smothers weeds easily. Full sun and good drainage. Drought tolerant once established. Avoid fertilizers as with all proteas. Frost hardy in USDA zone 8.”

So about those deep gold flowers; it’s taking a little break at the moment but there will be more soon. Just look…

If you’re wondering what the flowers do look like click on over here, as proof of my obsession there are no less than 15 photos of my plants on plantlust.com, most of them while they’re in bloom.

The stats:
  • Evergreen ground cover to 2ft tall by 8-10ft wide.
  • Likes sun and well drained soil – drought tolerant.
  • Hardy Zone 8a -10b

And speaking of photos on plantlust.com if any of you garden bloggers are okay with us uploading your photos (with credit and a link back to your blog of course) we would LOVE to do so. Just say the word and we’ll get busy.

28 comments:

  1. Apologies, as I thought the first photo showed a yew. It's apparently much more than that. :-)

    If there are any photos that you find useful on my blog, have at it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ya...just a little (more).

      Thank you Alan, you've got great photos!

      Delete
  2. Do wish I had room for another groundcover Grevillea, because I love this one! I'll have to make do with Grevillea 'Lava Cascade', which isn't blooming for me right now either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Would you believe I've got 3 of those too? Sick, it's just sick...

      Delete
  3. Anything that looks that good at this time of the year AND blooms during the winter is tops in my book! Maybe I'll work it into my hell strip which looks a little bleak in the winter.
    If you can find anything on my blog that is worthy of Plant Lust, feel free.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! You definitely need this Grevillea. You should probably drive down to Cistus over Christmas break and get one, oh and stop here first to pick me up on the way!

      (thanks for the plant lust ok!)

      Delete
  4. That first shot of the entire grouping is wonderful, with the Mexican feather grass waving in the back. It looks great next to the Opuntia. I have a Grevillea that I just planted this year that is also loaded with those tight flower buds. I hope to see lots of gorgeous flowers soon.

    And I've just remembered you mentioned that I should take a photo of my Callistemon subulatus for Plant Lust. It's looking kind of bleak out there right now, but I'll see if I can get a good shot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alison, that combo was pure luck but it make me very happy...even on bleak days like this (I hear ya!)

      Delete
  5. I can definitely see why it's called 'juniperiana'! Honestly, is there a grevillea that isn't lovely? I haven't seen one yet.

    You're more than welcome to go through through my blog and harvest what you like.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good point, I have yet to meet a Grevillea I don't adore. And thank you so much for the photo permission. I think we could stay quite busy there for awhile!

      Delete
  6. Thanks for the introduction to a new grevillea! (I'm a fan, too.) Can't wait to give it a test run in a client's garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow...so glad I could introduce you to a new one Susan, I hope your clients love it!

      Delete
  7. Definitely a luat worthy plant. I have not seen that one up here for sale yet but will have to keep an eye out for it :) . And you are more than welcome to use any pics of mine anytime. That's if there are any plant lust worthy photos. That site's legit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't remember, do you have any Grevilleas Louis?

      "If there are any plant lust worthy photos"...ha! You've got some great ones. Thank you!

      Delete
    2. I don't have any grevilleas. Almost every time I go to any garden centre I oogle over grevillea victoriae but I have not taken that plunge. There are some nice ones that looks similar to your Molonglo at Cedar Rim right now but with red/pink flowers that has been calling out to me. I forget the name of it, but its a stunner.

      Delete
  8. I ought to introduce Grevilleas in our garden. A good selection of them are reasonably hardy, they are generally tough and undemanding plants, have lovely flowers, and I like their foliage and habit too! It seems all of the above describes your plant perfectly :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes...you really should! And yes, I think you did just describe my plant quite well.

      Delete
  9. Wow that is really a beauty. love those flowers too. Great plant

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've got lots of ground to cover, so this might be just the ticket.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh good point...too bad the branches don't root as they spread. I have seen some seed pods on mine. Shall I save them for you? Couldn't hurt...

      Delete
  11. I was just admiring mine, why didn't I plant mine in my garden ? instead of out on the street

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Because you're generous and you wanted to share with the neighborhood!

      Delete
  12. Looks wonderful, like Asparagus sprengerii without the invasive properties? My little Grevillea whats-its-face is doing better than I thought it would. 'Cousin Itt' Acacia unfortunately is not. :(

    feel free to use any pics of mine.

    Getting hammered by rain today?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I love that you see the resemblance too! I was posting these pictures while writing my review for Andrew Key's book and had to include this as a alternative to the Asparagus sprengerii. Of course I wouldn't know anything about that plants invasive properties since (sadly) it isn't hardy for us here.

      Thank you for the picture okay...and yes, it is raining but I think you all are getting the brunt of this storm (which is just fine...200% of normal precip is plenty for me) hope it's not too bad!

      Delete
  13. I have really been thinking about where to work a grevillea into my garden, thanks for the reminder! You are welcome to any photos on my blog, though I doubt any of them are of the quality you need.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Heather, and for the record I don't see any issues with the quality of your photos! And...get the Grevillea! (but you knew I was going to say that)

      Delete
  14. Hi Guys,
    We have this plant on our bank. It's a monster, it's smothering all our other plants, and it's so spikey. I get a rash every time I brush up against it. Yes it is a good groundcover and it does grow quickly but if you have children or small pets it's spikeyness could be a problem. We are pulling all of ours out. It is more suited to public gardens as a deterent for garden trodders not a residential garden.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!