May Plant of the Month: Penola Lavender Grevillea Grevillea lavandulacea ‘Penola’

Written by Lisa Endicott, Horticulture Manager
May 23, 2023

As plant of the month for May, Turtle Bay’s Senior Horticulturist/Senior Nursery Specialist, Linda Russo, chose Penola Lavender Grevillea.

Linda notes some of the desirable garden qualities of this plant:

• Soft dense foliage

• Beautiful rose red blooms

• Drought tolerant

• Attracts butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees

Lavender Grevillea is an Australian native plant that grows throughout a wide range of Southwestern Australia. Lavender Grevillea has several varieties, with differences in blooms, size, etc. Most are named for locations where they are found growing. Penola Lavender Grevillea is a garden hybrid (Grevilleas hybridize easily between species) and is named after the Australian town of Penola. It grows 4 to 6 feet tall and up to 8 feet wide. It prefers low-humidity growing sites, perfect for our area.

The images above are Penola Lavender Grevilleas in the Turtle Bay Garden Nursery. The soft evergreen, pine-like foliage evades water evaporation with the small leaf surface. As the plants grow, the dense foliage adds a beautiful texture in the garden.

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Available now at the
Turtle Bay Nursery!

Caring for Penola Lavender Grevillea:

• Plant in part to full shade in our area (hot summer upper central valley region of California).

• Plant in well-draining soil.

• If you don’t have well-draining soil, create small (or large) raised planting areas.

• Water weekly in summer until established (1-2 years), then infrequently, or more often during heatwaves, as needed, in summer.

Gardening or plant questions?
Email us at gardens@turtlebay.org