Grevillea 'Magic Lantern' - An evergreen low growing shrub to 2 to 3 feet all by up to 6 to 10 feet wide dissected gray leaves and coral-red flowers that are striking against the gray feathery foliage - a strong bloomer in the fall, winter, and early spring. Plant in full sun and water occasionally to infrequently. Will tolerate some alkalinity but requires a well-drained soil. Hardy to 28 degrees F. This Grevillea flowers on older wood so avoid cutting back in summer months.
Grevillea 'Magic Lantern' was long thought to be a selection of Grevillea thelemanniana ssp. hirtella and has also known as Grevillea 'Gilded Dragon' but most recent treatment has determined that this plant is Grevillea preissii ssp. glabrilimba, a plant native to a restricted area near coastal Cervantes in Western Australia where it grows in shallow calcareous sand. The climate there is hot and dry in the summer and cool and moist in winter with an average rainfall of 18 inches, much like coastal California.
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 first received this plant from Luen Miller at Monterey Bay Nursery and have grown and sold it since 1998.
This information about Grevillea 'Magic Lantern' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate 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 that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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