I recently got this Grevillea from from Big UU. There was a bunch out the front of the store and I thought I'ld give it a go. There doesn't seem to be a lot of info around on using Grevillea for Bonsai and about the best tidbit I've found is this
There was one reply confirming this experience and a post on another thread suggesting that not all species/cultivars respond the same way.Grevillea wrote:Where I have left wire on some grevilleas for too long and the branch has grown around the wire, the branch seems to rot at that point rather than scar over and heal. I have noticed this on G. diminuta and G. poorinda 'Marion'. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Ruth
When I purchased a couple of Grevillea's from a nursery recently I talked to the Nurseryman about cutting them back and he suggested they don't like to be cut back too hard. Because of the mass of foliage with a good trunk shape I did cut them both back fairly hard (although I tried to hold myself back and left plenty of foliage on branches that I kept). One labelled Grevillea semperflorens carked it over about a month slowly losing leaves and newer shoots drying up. (Maybe over watering ) The other labeled Grevillea Bon Accord (G. johnsonii x G. wilsonii) is still going fine. (Pretty sure I cut off less from this plant)
The one above has an interesting lower trunk and so I have removed over half the foliage but left a lot more on than I would have done if not for my past experience. Not the best picture. I'll get another showing the base another day.
So, has anyone had much experience with Grevillea's? Any tips? Has anyone found the cutting back hard thing to be a problem? The only other Grevillea I have had was a Robyn Gordon and I recall it being fine with being cut hard, but carked it in some hot dry weather.
As a side note, when doing a search on Grevillea semperflorens I found there is an interesting history behind this plant. It's not actually a species as I assumed from the label, so should really be written Grevillea x semperflorens. It is the first recorded Grevillea Hybrid and was developed by Miss F. E. Briggs of Plymouth, England in 1926 or 1927. It was also mentioned as not being available in Australia by Wriggley and Fagg in 1989. It is a cross between Grevillea thelemanniana and Grevillea juniperina subspecies sulphur. I might head back to the nursery I got it and see if they have another, although I will be more careful with how I treat it.