With many different forms, growth habits and flower colours, Grevilleas can be used for many different purposes in the garden. In addition, the flowers of many species and cultivars produce nectar and are excellent for attracting birds. Although grevilleas are popular garden plants, those species native to Western Australia are generally difficult to maintain for any length of time in areas of high summer humidity and rainfall (such as the eastern coastal strip of Australia). Similarly, eastern species may not thrive in the west.

Like most members of the Protea family, Grevilleas have a distinctive root system ("proteoid roots") consisting of tight groupings of many small "rootlets". These are believed to enable the plants to more efficiently take up nutrients from the nutrient-deficient soils where many of the species occur naturally. In cultivation this means that the plants can be adversely affected by fertilizers, particularly phosphorus. It is generally recommended that grevilleas and other Proteaceae be fertilised only with low-phosphorus, slow-release fertilisers or not be fertilised at all.

Proteoid roots can often be seen by carefully removing a proteaceous plant from its pot, as shown here. Click the thumbnail image or the highlighted phrase for a higher resolution image [39k].

Virtually all species and cultivars perform best in well-drained soils and flower best in open, sunny positions. They prefer acidic soils.

Grevilleas respond well to regular, annual pruning where about one-third of the plant is removed. This promotes branching and produces a plant with a bushy shape. Some plants can be cut back severly if they develop a "straggly" shape. Some of the popular hybrids (eg G."Robyn Gordon", G."Honey Gem") are in this category. Others, however, will not tolerate this treatment. If in doubt, always leave some green foliage on the plant.

There are few serious pests that attack grevilleas. Borers may occasionally be a problem but will usually be noticed by the sawdust around the entrance to their tunnels. Inserting a piece of wire into the hole will often remove the pest, or the hole can be sealed with plastic wood. A variety of other pests such as caterpillars, sooty mould and scale may appear but they are no more of a problem on grevilleas than on any other plant and can often be ignored, allowing natural control methods (eg birds) to operate. If treatment is necessary, conventional pest control methods are suitable.