To understand pruning, you must first understand our rhythm. We are not like deciduous plants that can be sheared without thought. Our flowering is intrinsically linked to our growth cycle. Most Grevillea species, including myself, flower on wood that grew in the previous season. This means the buds for your next spectacular floral display are already forming on the stems that developed after the last time you flowered. Pruning at the wrong time removes these precious future flowers. Our goal is always to encourage strong, new growth that will carry the next season's blooms, while maintaining a shape that allows light and air to penetrate our core.
Timing is the most critical factor for ensuring we reward you with abundant flowers. The golden rule is to prune us immediately after a major flowering flush has finished. This timing is not arbitrary; it is a direct response to our biological clock. By cutting us back just as we finish blooming, you are providing us with the longest possible period to produce that new, vigorous growth. This new growth will mature and harden off before the cooler months, and it is on this new wood that we will set our flower buds for the next spectacular show. Pruning too late, especially in autumn or winter, risks cutting off these developing buds and will significantly reduce flowering.
When you approach us with secateurs, think like a sculptor revealing form, not like a barber with clippers. Avoid all-over hedging or tipping; this can leave us looking woody and lifeless. Instead, practice selective pruning. Follow a flowering stem back into the body of the plant and make your cut just above a healthy, outward-facing leaf node or a side shoot. This encourages growth to move outward, maintaining an open, airy structure. This technique prevents a dense, tangled interior, which improves air circulation and reduces the risk of fungal diseases. Always remove any dead, diseased, or spindly growth first, cutting it right back to a main branch. This directs all our energy into the strongest, healthiest stems.
The pruning process is a stimulus for us, a signal to channel our energy into fresh growth. To support this effort, we appreciate a little care afterward. A light application of a native-specific, low-phosphorus fertilizer will provide the nutrients we need to rebound strongly. We are adapted to low-phosphorus soils, and a standard fertilizer can be harmful. Ensure we receive deep, infrequent watering as we establish this new growth, especially if conditions are dry. The combination of correct timing, thoughtful shaping, and gentle aftercare is the recipe for a Grevillea that is both beautifully formed and spectacularly floriferous.
