Greetings, human caretaker. I am your Grevillea, a resilient yet particular being from the sun-drenched landscapes of Australia. To help me thrive in your American garden, here is my annual cycle of needs, expressed from my perspective.
I am dormant, conserving my energy. My roots are vulnerable to cold, wet soil, so your most important task is to ensure my feet are not drowning. Please hold all water if the ground is frozen or sodden. A thick layer of mulch over my root zone is my favorite blanket, protecting me from freezing temperatures, especially if I am in zones 8 or 9. Do not feed me now; my system is asleep and cannot process it.
As the soil warms and daylight lengthens, I stir from my rest. This is the perfect time for you to give me a gentle shaping. Prune me lightly to maintain my form and encourage bushy new growth, but be kind—I do not respond well to harsh cutting back into old wood. You may offer me a light meal, but only a specific one: a low-phosphorus, native plant fertilizer. My roots are extremely sensitive to phosphorus.
I am now in my full glory, pushing out new growth and preparing my unique, spider-like blooms. I am thirsty for the long, warm days ahead. Please provide me with deep, infrequent waterings to encourage my roots to grow strong and deep. The soil must be perfectly draining; I despise having wet feet for long. Continue to monitor me for any pesky aphids, but my birds and beneficial insects usually handle them.
I am flowering magnificently, attracting hummingbirds and bees to my nectar-rich blooms. The heat can be intense. While I am drought-tolerant once established, a deep drink during extended periods of extreme heat or drought will keep me from becoming overly stressed. Please, absolutely no overhead watering; wet foliage under the hot sun can make me ill. Let my soil dry out between these deep watering sessions.
My flowering may continue in a second, lighter flush as the temperatures become more moderate. This is another excellent window for you to give me a light pruning to remove any spent flowers and leggy growth, shaping me before I settle down for winter. Do not fertilize me now. Any tender new growth prompted by fertilizer would be too vulnerable to the coming frosts.
My growth has slowed to a crawl as I prepare for dormancy. Your care should be minimal. In colder zones, this is the time to ensure my mulch layer is replenished and intact to protect my roots from the first hard freezes. Water me very sparingly, only if the season is exceptionally dry. My main request is to be left in peace to rest, gathering strength for the cycle to begin again.
