Back yard shrub ID

[Paulneill]

Hi everyone, it’s been ages since I’ve been on this forum. Hope everyone is still addicted to the hobby. I just bought a house in Perth and at 1st glance thought this was an olive. It has similar leaves with a golden tinge. It looks very promising as good material and would love an ID and also some advice on how to successfully collect it. Seeing as it’s in the backyard I’ve all the time in the world to prep it for collecting.
Pictures will follow.

[Paulneill]

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[Keels]

That looks like a Grevillea olivacea to me. Beautiful grevillea and that can make awesome bonsai. But Grevilleas are notoriously hard to dig from the ground, few back bud on old wood as well. I've had experience digging some Grevilleas but they have all died either no foliage or not enough roots etc. I prefer to grow them in pots now but that isn't easy either. If you do decide to dig keep us updated on your experiences etc be good to know.

Hope that helps man. Good luck with it

[shibui]

Definitely a grevillea though I can't ID the species.
Agree with Keels that grevillea are notoriously difficult to transplant after the first year. I'd enjoy it as a landscape plant.

[BonsaiBobbie]

A grevillea seeded in my garden this year.

So if you are going to bonsai a grevillea and they are difficult to transplant, what is the best approach for taking it from a seedling?

[Paulneill]

What about an air layer then. I read they airlayer easy?
Yea just did a bit more research on them and read a few old posts. Looks like no one knows how to keep them alive in pots. Some say they don’t like hard pruning. New growth starts and then dies back. I’m gona have a go at airlayer A branch off it 1st and see if I can grow it in a pot before layering the whole shrub.

Thanks for the reply’s guys.

[shibui]

Grevillea grow well from cuttings so layer should be no problem.

Grevillea are being grown as bonsai. Look for posts by member RuthMcL from Canberra who has been growing great grevillea bonsai for many years. Others are slowly learning the tricks.

Grevilleas seem to resent wet roots. Over watering is a major cause of mortality. Over fertilising could be another problem for these plants. I know they don't survive long if phytopthera is active in the soil or pot.
Few grevilleas bud on bare wood so pruning is limited to healthy leaf zones. Don't cut back to bare wood. Usually no new growth occurs. Regular trimming seems to be the key to development of grevillea bonsai.

[Paulneill]

Thanks Shubui
Well looks like I’m on then. Airlayer it is this coming spring. I will just pot it up in some good inorganic soil. These one that’s growing in my garden has lots of inner branches with foliage buried deep inside the shrub. Never see a plant like that before and it’s not getting any direct sun in winter. Weard.