San Francisco Botanical Garden - Gardens

San Francisco Botanical Garden has over 50 types of Grevilleas. Look for them in the Australian Garden and the west side of the North Gate (Friend Gate.) Beds 59A, 59B, 60A, 64B, 75A.

Scientific Name	Grevillea spp.
Common Name	Grevillea
Family	Proteaceae
Plant Type	Evergreen trees and shrubs
Environment	Thrives in sandy or rocky soil and cannot tolerate high levels of phosporus in the soil. Fertilize infrequently with low-phosphorus fertilizer. No summer irrigation.
Bloom	Wide variation among species, some will bloom here year-round. Most have clusters of slender, curved flowers.
Uses	Low-maintenance and water-thrifty, the flowers attract bees and birds.
More Info	Complete Austrailian resource for growing grevilleas Some grevillea species for cultivation A grevillea park in Australia with lots of images

Profile Contributor: Fred Bové

Grevillea spp.

The unusual and striking flowers of the Proteaceae family grow in the southern hemisphere countries of South America, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, that once composed the huge continental mass of Gondwana. Plate tectonics over millions of years separated the various continents from each other, but the botanical family connections between them are still there, though the species differ vastly from each other. Captain Cook, the British explorer, named his first landing in Australia, “Botany Bay” for the exotic plants blooming on its shores. Sir Joseph Banks, his botanist on board, collected two dozen varieties of Grevilleas to be taken back to England. The genus was subsequently named after Charles Francis Greville, who was one of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society.

Most Grevilleas are endemic (growing nowhere else) to Australia with more than 300 different named species. G. robusta is a 90 foot tree with orange blooms. Another, G. aquifolium, is a ground cover with oak-like leaves. All require a hot dry mediterranean climate with winter rains and excellent drainage. California gardens needing drought tolerant plants can do well with the great variety of grevilleas available.

Available at our next plant sale