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Grevillea 'Poorinda Signet' - A medium to large shrub to 6 to 9 feet tall and wide with arching branches or 1 inch long by 1/4-inch-wide leaves that are dark green on the upper surface with a dense covering of silvery hairs below with recurved margins and a sharp pointed tip. The dense silvery hairs also cover new shoots and the inflorescence with its pale pink flowers and darker styles, which appear late winter through spring, and are held in terminal clusters on short stems tight with the foliage. Plant in full sun to part shade in well-drained acidic to neutral soils. Hardy to moderate frost and extended dry periods. Responds well to light pruning or shearing.
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.
A number of Grevillea hybrids bear the name "Poorinda", which was the name of a property owned by the late Leo Hodge (1904 – 1994) that was located at W Tree, near the Snowy River, north of Buchan in Victoria, Australia. Mr. Hodge was a grower of grevilleas who worked on hybridizing between the species from 1952 until 1968 with more than 50 Poorinda cultivars registered. Only a few of them have stood the test of time and are still available, including this very nice cultivar that was thought to be a hybrid between Grevillea juniperina and G. lanigera and was received by the Australian Cultivar Registration Authority on October 9, 1974. It was introduced into cultivation in the US by University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum Koala Blooms Introduction Program in 2009. We received this plant originally as UCSC 94.928 and grew it from 2009 until 2015.
This information about Grevillea 'Poorinda Signet' 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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