Grevillea 'Firesprite' - A beautiful hybrid Grevillea that is relatively new to the US but reports from Australia are that 'Firesprite' grows to 9-12 feet tall (possibly to 15') by 6-8 feet wide with 10-inch-long leaves that are divided into 3 to 5 narrow (3/8") lobes and are bright green on the upper surface and pale brownish cream below. During much of the year, but more so in the warmer months, appear the showy upright 5-inch-tall racemes of waxy flame-red with green colored flowers.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and irrigate occasionally to regularly. Cold hardiness is not well documented on this plant, but it is likely to not be very hardy. Both parents come from the more tropical Queensland, though Grevillea longistylla grows in mountainous areas and is known to tolerate light frosts - hybrid vigor may make this plant hardier but to be safe we are only listing it to 30F as this is the temperature that we know it has endured so far for us. It is a beautiful cut flower, and a University of Sydney study indicates that the flowers exhibit fairly good vase life (9.25 days). It is great for a large specimen or as a large screening plant and it can be pruned to a neat, rounded shrub. Attractive to birds.
Grevillea 'Firesprite' is a hybrid created by Merv Hodge that resulted from crossing the stunning long-styled red-flowering Grevillea longystyla with the beautiful yellow-flowering Grevillea venusta. It is somewhat similar to the cultivar 'Long John' but has a slightly less upright habit and paler broader foliage. The genus name Grevillea honors Charles Francis Greville (1749-1809), a patron of botany, a very close friend of Sir Joseph Banks, and president of the Royal Society of London. We grew this attractive plant from 2007 until 2014.
The information about Grevillea 'Firesprite' displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant. |