Grevillea, Pink Pokers 'Big Bird'

Per San Marcos Growers:
"Grevillea petrophiloides 'Big Bird' (Pink Pokers) - A medium-sized evergreen shrub to 4 to 6 feet tall wi...Read Moreth finely divided dark-green leaves that are held upright. From late fall to mid spring, and sporadically at other times, appear the tall erect stems, 8 to 9 feet tall, bearing 3 to 4 inch long bottlebrush-like clusters of violet-pink flowers held high above the main portion of the shrub with some flowering also at the tips of the foliage. Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil with infrequent summer irrigation - this is a drought tolerant shrub! Its hardiness is not well known yet but thought to tolerate temperatures down to mid to upper 20s° F. Avoid using fertilizer with phosphorous. Reportedly responds well to hard pruning. This attractive plant should be great as a specimen in the background where its wands of flowers can rise above other plants. A fun plant for a large container too. In habitat this plant is widespread in lateritic gravely soils in the northern and central sandplain regions in of the hot dry mediterranean climate of the Avon and Irwin districts in Western Australia. In Australia it has proven difficult to maintain in cultivation in humid and wet summer areas but it should be at home in our mediterranean climate so long as it is given full sun and good drainage. Its stunning and unusual appearance makes it worth the attempt to keep it happy. At one time Grevillea petrophiloides was considered to have three subspecies but only the subspecies petrophiloides remains with ssp. magnifica and ssp. oligomera raised to specific level as Grevillea oligomera and G.magnifica. The specific epithet comes from its foliage resembling plants in the genus Petrophile, another Proteaceous genera. This form selected and released in 2012 by the UC Santa Cruz Koala Blooms Australian Native Plant Program. It was accessioned at the UCSC Arboretum as Grevillea petrophiloides 96.406. This description is based on our research and observations made of this plant as it grows in our nursery, in the nursery garden and in other gardens that we have visited."
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