Grevillea ‘Ned Kelly’

Apricot orange-pink blooms held against perforated grayish foliage. No phosphorus. Loved by hummingbirds. Prune to shape.
height 4–6ft
width 4–6ft
tolerates Drought, Fog, Heat, Pots, Wind
water
needs
Low – Moderate
water
info
Grevilleas are drought tolerant, but they’ll want infrequent additional summer water at least every couple of weeks once established. They prefer well-drained soil, but they’re less picky than some of the other proteaceous plants.
hardy
to
25F
exposure Part Shade – Full Sun
indoor
outdoor
Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing Bloodmeal, Fish Emulsion, Low Needs, No Phosphorus
origin Australia
california
native
No
sunset
zones
8, 9, 13–24

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

OUTDOOR EXPOSURE GUIDE

Full Sun
Six or more hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Shade
Three to five hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.

Part Sun
One to two hours of sun beams directly landing on the plants leaves.

Full Shade
The plant is never fully lit by sun beams, but is in a bright spot or has dappled sunbeams playing over the leaves throughout the day.

Deep Shade
The plant never has dappled light on the leaves, and is in a place that feels dim, even on a nice sunny day.

SUNSET ZONES MAP

Growing Notes

This grevillea is a moderate sized full shrub that makes a great screen. Sheer it to make the plant extra dense or prune selectively to open it up and make an open airy form. You can also prune off lower branches to expose the trunk in a standard form.
Generally fertilization is to be avoided, but if your soil is alkaline and the grevillea leaves are yellowing, an addition of light acid fertilizer such as cotton seed meal is beneficial. Grevilleas also respond to high-nitrogen fertilizer such as fish emulsion or blood meal. Never give your grevillea fertilizer that is high in phosphorus, and avoid potassium as well.
Yellowing leaves indicate that the plant is either overwatered or has a PH imbalance. To lower the PH use cottonseed meal or chelated iron.

Special Interest

It’s interesting that such a soft and beautiful shrub is named after Australia’s notorious 19th century outlaw Edward ‘Ned’ Kelly, who survived a shootout with police while wearing a suite of bulletproof armor. He was subsequently hanged and his armor is on display in the state library of Victoria, including 18 bullet marks.