Grevillea lanigera Mount Tamboritha

Grevillea lanigera 'Mount Tamboritha', unlike the usually bushy grevilleas planted in gardens, is a creeping bush that develops as ground cover. It first captivates with its small, dense, almost round, greyish-green foliage, with a slightly woolly appearance which remains decorative all year round. Its pink and cream flowering, from late winter to spring, brings a real touch of softness to flower beds and rockeries at a time of year when flowering shrubs are still rare. Fast-growing, drought-resistant, and low-maintenance, it is an easy plant to grow in well-drained sandy or acidic soil and in mild climates. Outside of mild regions it can be grown in a wider than tall container, to be stored in a cold greenhouse during winter. 

Grevillea lanigera is a bush from the proteaceae family native to the mountains of southeastern Australia. The 'Mount Tamboritha' variety, sometimes called G.lanigera compacta, is believed to be a spontaneous form of this plant found on the coast of the state of Victoria. Particularly ornamental, it has been widely planted in Australia. Many Grevilleas are pioneering species in their natural environment: they tolerate fairly poor but non-chalky dry soils, and require full sun to flower. It reaches maturity in 3-4 years, this prostrate bush will typically reach 15-25cm (5.9-9.8 in) in height and have a spread of 1.5m (4 ft 11 in). Its small narrow leaves have recurved edges, giving them a somewhat cylindrical appearance. They are covered in woolly hairs, especially on the underside, which gives them their ash-green colour. Flowering usually occurs from February to June, without interruption, with a peak in March-April. The flowers are a delicate pink, washed with bright pink, sometimes red and white-cream. They have no petals and are composed of petal-like styles curled upon themselves and long recurved stamens, grouped in small erect clusters. The root system of this plant is very dense near the surface, which allows it to adapt to nutrient-poor soils and summer drought. According to some observers, the 'Mount Tamboritha' variety seems to be more resistant to Phytophthora attacks than the species.

Grevillea 'Mount Tamboritha' is not difficult to grow as long as the conditions are suitable. This bush requires no maintenance and can go without watering in the summer once established. It can be grown in a coastal garden spared by strong frosts, but in a light, well-draining, and preferably acidic soil. Particularly well-suited to the Mediterranean climate, it forms a charming ground cover among the stones of a large rockery, and creates a lovely flowery mantle above a low wall. In this setting, it can be accompanied by creeping rosemary, Iberis sempervirens, with their respective pink, blue, and white flowers creating a beautiful pastel scene from the first sunny days. A Callirhoe involucrata, an Erigeron glaucus 'Sea Breeze' and an Artemisia caucasica, flowering slightly staggered, will take over until summer. In an exotic or Mediterranean garden, it can be paired with proteas, Agave, Aloe, creeping sedums, Crassula, Delosperma, and many others. Growing it in a container allows for controlling the composition of the substrate and overwintering the bush in a cold greenhouse or a very bright and minimally heated conservatory.