🌸 Grevillea ‘Jelly Baby’ – A Compact & Hardy Native Shrub 🌸
Grevillea ‘Jelly Baby’ is a small, evergreen Australian native shrub that produces stunning pinkish-red flowers and soft, silvery-green foliage. It’s a compact, low-growing variety of Grevillea, making it perfect for small gardens, borders, rockeries, and containers. Plus, it’s a magnet for birds, bees, and butterflies! 🐦🦋
🌿 Key Features & Description
🔹 Botanical Name: Grevillea ‘Jelly Baby’
🔹 Common Name: Jelly Baby Grevillea 🍬🌸
🔹 Plant Type: Evergreen, small shrub 🌳
🔹 Growth Habit: Compact, mounding, and spreading
🔹 Size:
- 📏 Height: 0.5 – 1 meter
- 📏 Width: 1 – 1.5 meters
🔹 Foliage:
- Soft, finely divided silver-grey leaves 🌿
- Provides a striking contrast against green plants
- Adds texture and interest to the garden year-round
🔹 Flowers:
- 🌺 Pinkish-red ‘spider’ flowers appear year-round, with peaks in spring and autumn
- 🕒 Long-lasting blooms
- 🐦 Highly attractive to birds, bees, and butterflies
🔹 Lifespan: Long-lived with proper care ⏳
🌞 Best Growing Conditions
✅ ☀️ Light: Prefers full sun, but tolerates part shade ☀️🌤️
✅ 🌍 Soil:
- Well-draining soil is essential! 🚱
- Prefers sandy, loamy, or gravelly soils
- Does not like heavy, clay soils unless well-drained
✅ 💧 Watering:
- Drought-tolerant once established 🌵
- Regular watering during the first year to help establish strong roots 💧
- In extended dry periods, occasional deep watering benefits growth
✅ 🌡️ Temperature & Climate:
- Handles heat and dry conditions well 🔥
- Frost-hardy to about -5°C ❄️
- Perfect for coastal and inland gardens
✂️ Maintenance & Care
🔹 Extremely low-maintenance! Great for busy gardeners 🏡🌱
✔️ Pruning:
- Light pruning after flowering keeps it compact & bushy ✂️
- Removes old flowers to encourage new blooms
✔️ Mulching:
- Apply a layer of organic mulch around the base to retain moisture 🌾
✔️ Fertilizing:
- Use a low-phosphorus native fertilizer to support healthy growth 🌿
- Feed in early spring for lush foliage & more flowers
✔️ Pests/Diseases:
- Very resistant to pests & diseases 💪
- Avoid overwatering to prevent root rot 🚱
🏡 Landscaping & Uses
🌟 Why is Grevillea ‘Jelly Baby’ a great choice?
✅ Compact & small-growing – Perfect for small spaces 🌱
✅ Evergreen & year-round beauty – Provides structure all year 🍃
✅ Drought & frost-tolerant – Handles tough conditions like a champ 💪
✅ Attracts birds & pollinators – Great for biodiversity 🦜🐝
✅ Soft, silvery foliage – Unique color contrast in the garden 🌿
🌳 How to Use Grevillea ‘Jelly Baby’ in Landscaping?
🏡 Small Gardens & Courtyards:
- Ideal for compact spaces & urban gardens 🌱🏙️
🌾 Rock Gardens & Borders:
- Works beautifully in native and dry gardens 🏜️
- Pairs well with other silver or blue-toned plants
🐦 Wildlife Gardens:
- Plant in bird-friendly gardens to attract honeyeaters & butterflies 🦜🦋
🏺 Containers & Pots:
- A fantastic choice for patio pots & balcony gardens 🎍
🌱 Low-Maintenance Landscaping:
- Works well in xeriscaping (water-wise gardens) 🌵
- Can be mass-planted for a soft, natural look
🌿 Great Companion Plants
To create a stunning Australian native garden, plant Grevillea ‘Jelly Baby’ with:
🌱 Lomandra – Adds a textural contrast 🌾
🌸 Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos) – Adds height & color 🦘
🌿 Westringia (Coastal Rosemary) – Complements with its silvery-green foliage 🌿
🌺 Acacia cognata ‘Limelight’ – Creates a vibrant lime-green contrast 💚
🌟 Why Choose Grevillea ‘Jelly Baby’?
✔️ Native Australian plant – Supports local wildlife 🐦🌏
✔️ Low-maintenance & tough – Handles heat, drought, and frost like a pro 💪
✔️ Compact size – Great for small gardens & containers 🏡
✔️ Striking year-round flowers – A beautiful feature plant 🌸
✔️ Salt-tolerant – Suitable for coastal gardens 🌊