Grevillea biternata

Botanical Name: Grevillea biternata 

Author: C.F.Meisner

Family: Proteaceae

Location

This beautiful shrub comes from  Western Australia where it occurs from New Norcia south to Northhampton. It grows in sandy or gravelly loam in open heath and low mallee woodland.

You can see, and smell, this attractive shrub in our What’s the Big Idea Garden.

Its natural environment indicates that it needs reasonable drainage in the home garden. If your garden is on clay soil, just plant it in mounds or raised beds. This reliable and long-lived species is drought and frost resistant, does best in full sun and grows to 1.5 –2.5 m high.

The massed display of creamy white flowers has a sweet vanilla perfume which drifts around the garden from late winter to spring. It attracts insects which pollinate the flowers and the spiky foliage provides excellent protection and nesting sites for small birds such as wrens and thornbills. It makes an ideal barrier plant or hedge.

This vanilla-scented form of Grevillea biternata has been grown for sale by our Growing Friends.