Eremophila

( ehr - em - oh - FILL - uh )

At-A-Glance Information

Eremophila, also called Emu Bush, Poverty Bush or Fuchsia Bush, is a genus of evergreen shrubs. They require full sun and little to moderate water. These plants will attract birds and butterflies to your garden. Use Emu Bush as specimen plantings, to form shrublands, or as windbreaks in drought-friendly landscapes.

Eremophila Species and Varietals

The genus Eremophila belongs to the Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae), and includes around 270 species. The common name Emu Bush refers to the fact that Emus like to munch on the fruits produced by these shrubs in their native habitat. The genus was first described by botanist Robert Brown in 1810 in the publication Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae. The best growing zones for Emu Bush are 8, 9 and 13-24, though this will vary somewhat depending on the species grown. For more information, see the descriptions below. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Eremophila decipiens
This is a compact, mounding variety that gets to only 3 feet tall and wide. Scarlet, slender blossoms bloom in winter for 2-3 months. This species thrives with no irrigation.

​Eremophila glabra (Common Emu Bush, Tar Bush)
This is a variable species, and gets to between 5 feet tall and 3-10 feet wide. Flowers come in red, orange, yellow, or green in early spring or autumn. Variety 'Murchison River' gets to 3 feet high and wide and silvery foliage with red flowers. Variety 'Kalgoorlie' (pictured) has orange and yellow flowers. 

​Eremophila hygrophana
This is a compact shrub that gets to 2-3 feet tall and 3 feet wide with silvery foliage. Has purple/blue flowers appear sporadically, heavier blooms in spring and summer time.

​Eremophila laanii
This shrub is a spreading habit to 3-6 feet tall and 4-10 feet wide, with gray green leaves. Flowers come in white, pink, or light red. A popular variety is 'Pink Beauty', which has pink flowers.

Caring for and pruning Eremophila shrubs

Eremophila shrubs grow well in full sun to partial shade exposure; between 4 and 6 hours of direct sun each day is ideal. Soil should be well-draining; these are drought-tolerant plants, and do not like to have their feet wet. If local soils are clay or do not drain well, they will need to be amended before planting with plenty of sand and organic material or compost. These shrubs are drought-tolerant at maturity, and do not need supplemental waterings unless a drought extends for a long period of time. Eremophila shrubs do not need fertilizers. In wintertime, prune shrubs to remove errant and dead branches and to shape lightly. Faded flower inflorescences can be removed as they appear to neaten the appearance of the plant.

Propagation

Eremophila can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your shrub, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Eremophila by Cutting
  1. Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
  2. In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
  3. Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
  4. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Eremophila by Seed
  1. Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows. 
  2. Harvest your seeds. The seeds are contained inside fruiting bodies that are pretty easy to spot. plants are pretty easy to spot, they're large and dangle from the branches, left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
  3. Caesalpinia seeds have a hard coating that protects them, but this coating also makes it a little difficult to get them to germinate. We can help the process along by scarifying them with sandpaper (or simply rubbing them against an abrasive surface). Do this with as many seeds as you can; they will probably not all sow, and the ones that do will be of varying characteristics. The more seeds you plant, the more chances you will have to get the resulting shrub you want. Place your seeds in lukewarm water for six hours. Viable seeds will sink to the bottom, and non-viable seeds will float to the top. You can discard any seeds that float.
  4. Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 7-14 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
  5. Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.
Emu Bush produces fruit that contain seeds.
Eremophila seeds are, in their native habitat, dispersed via ingestion and deposited elsewhere by local Emu populations.

Problems and Pests

Emu Bushes are generally pest and disease free. For information on commonly encountered pests and diseases in the home garden, consult the following pages:
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Gallery

Plant Emu Bush in masse for best coverage and bloom shows.
Eremophila shrubs add color and interest to mixed beds.
Plant Eremophila in well-draining soil they do not do well with wet feet.

Videos

All about Emu Bushes.
A great video on the uses of the Eremophila plant.

Resources

Learn How to Grow an Emu Bush
Eremophila laanii or Emu Bush
Wikipedia: Eremophila (plant)
The New Sunset Western Garden Book: The Ultimate Gardening Guide (2012) - Pages 303 -304, Eremophila
If you have any questions, comments, concerns, or photos you’d like to add to the gallery, please let me know by sending me a message using the button below!
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