Grevillea ‘Golden Lyre’ – Yellow-flowering Grevillea

Description

Grevillea ‘Golden Lyre’ – Golden-yellow Flowering Hybrid

Family: Proteaceae
Packet Size: 8 seeds

Description

Grevillea ‘Golden Lyre’ is a striking Australian-bred hybrid created from Grevillea formosa and Grevillea ‘Honey Gem’. The parent cultivar is celebrated for arching branches covered with large golden-yellow to greenish-yellow, toothbrush-shaped flower brushes rich in nectar.

In a suitable warm garden, the parent cultivar may form a broad shrub about 2–3 m high and up to 4–6 m across, although pruning can keep it smaller. The deeply divided foliage creates a lush, finely textured appearance and the long flowers are particularly attractive to nectar-feeding birds. The plant is best suited to gardens with enough space for a spreading grevillea.

Key Features

• Parent flowers: Showy golden to greenish-yellow toothbrush-like racemes, often in the warmer months.
• Parent habit: Wide-spreading, arching shrub with finely divided green leaves.
• Wildlife: Nectar-bearing flower spikes appeal to honeyeaters and other pollinators.

Growing Conditions

• Light: Full sun encourages a compact, floriferous plant.
• Soil: Well drained; avoid waterlogged sites and high-phosphorus fertilisers.
• Climate: Most successful in mild, warm coastal and subtropical districts; the parent hybrid can be frost tender.
• Care: Water through establishment and prune after flowering to manage size.

Propagation from Seed

1. Pre-treatment: Grevillea seed can be slow or erratic. Optional gentle nicking or light abrasion of the seed coat may assist some seed lots; never cut into the embryo.
2. Sow: Cover lightly in clean, free-draining native seed-raising mix and keep in a bright, sheltered position.
3. Moisture: Maintain gentle, even moisture without saturation; be patient, as germination times can vary.
4. Grow on: Pot up seedlings once roots are established and gradually introduce them to stronger sun.

Seed-Grown Variation

‘Golden Lyre’ is a named hybrid and seed does not reproduce the cultivar reliably. These seeds are associated with the Golden Lyre parent selection; seedlings may differ in flower colour, foliage, growth habit and ultimate size. Identical plants require vegetative propagation. This is also a different cultivar from Grevillea ‘Poorinda Golden Lyre’.

Germination advice: These instructions are a recommended guide. Germination results and timing may vary depending on seed freshness, storage, temperature and growing conditions. Alternative propagation methods may also be successful.