These red flowers from down under make hummingbirds happy

This is one part in a weekly series featuring the UC Davis Arboretum’s “Pollinator Plant List: Hummingbirds” series – 30 can’t-fail, easy-care, low-water plants well adapted to our region and that attract hummingbirds.

Winpara Gem hybrid grevillea

Grevillea “Winpara Gem”

Size: Six to 8 feet tall and wide

Bloom season: Red blooms from October through February

Exposure: Full sun or partial shade.

Pruning needs: Prune to shape.

Water needs: Low; once established, water deeply one or twice a month.

Snapshot: Expect to see more grevilleas as the popularity of this Australian native continues to spread. Grevilleas come in all sizes from ground-hugging shrubs under 2 feet tall to mighty oak-like trees that top 100 feet in height. This hybrid shrub lands somewhere in the middle, reaching about fence height in Sacramento gardens. Believed to be a natural cross between G. thelemanniana and G. olivacea, “Winpara Gem” was discovered in South Australia and is both drought- and frost-tolerant. This evergreen shrub features finely divided silvery leaves, which look attractive year-round and help make this plant a good pick for a low-water hedge. But it’s the vivid red clusters of silky flowers that hummingbirds love. Those spiky blooms are filled with nectar and provide a welcome food source in late fall and winter.

For more on “Pollinator Plant List: Hummingbirds,” visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

This story was originally published February 9, 2018 at 2:00 PM with the headline "These red flowers from down under make hummingbirds happy."