Eremophila "Big Poly"
When I first came across Eremophila Big Poly (E Bignoniiflora x E Polyclada) I thought of it more as just another addition to my collection and just grew it in a pot for about 2 years. It wasn’t until I planted it into the ground though, that it actually came into it’s own.
The first thing I noticed was it grew very quickly to about 3m tall (in about 2 years). The other thing I’ve discovered is it does respond very well to harsh pruning, so my initial conclusion about this Eremophila is that it is ideal for someone who wants to grow a quick growing, dense hedge.
Most of the flowers fell off after yesterdays thunderstorm. But it's covered in buds so it will flower up again over the next few days. Melaleuca linariifolia (dwarf) is in the foreground.
Sounds pretty good really but this Eremophila has some other great features as well. First of all it is very drought tolerant. The first two years after it was planted it grew very quickly and this was despite receiving very little rainfall and practically no extra water from me. Another feature is that you can plant it areas that suffer from inadequate drainage, as it naturally grows in areas that flood after rainfall and then dry out during summer.
Eremophila Big Poly flowers in late spring and then into summer and this year it’s putting on a spectacular flowering display as it’s the first winter it’s experienced some reasonable rainfall, which as I write this, is now continuing into spring and hopefully early summer.
The flowers are a soft creamy/purplish colour which I must admit aren’t as spectacular as some of the flowers colours of other Eremophilas but nevertheless they make a welcome contrast to some of the deep reds, purples, blues and yellows of other Eremophilas. And as I said if does get some extra rainfall it is very floriferous.
It will continue to flower for the next couple of months and then it will get it's annual prune.
So there you have it, an Eremophila that will grow quite a bit larger than most of the others. It is very drought tolerant, responds best to sunny areas, is fairly wind tolerant, will except badly draining soil (at least for short periods), grows quickly and can be hedged easily (after flowering) into a hedge or a screen.
Sounds too good to be true really as it could be a solution to lots of problem areas you have in the garden. So I suppose the next question is, what are it’s drawbacks?
Well the biggest negative about this Eremophila is that it isn’t readily available in nurseries. In fact the day I purchased it was the only time I’ve ever seen it in a nursery. As such, specialist Australian Plant Nurseries and Markets may be the only place you’ll find it, if you’re lucky.
This I think is a shame and unfortunately is the case for many other very garden worthy Eremophilas as well. I’ve often wondered though why this is the case and have come to a very obvious conclusion, but I’ve decided I will leave this for my next post, so stay tuned.
In the meantime though if anyone is interested in growing Eremophila Big Poly (or any of the other Eremophilas in my garden) and lives in Melbourne (or is willing to travel) I’m more than happy to give away cuttings and if you’re not sure how to propagate from cuttings I’ll also give you a quick lesson. Just send me an email message from my contact form if you’re interested.
So if your looking for a quick growing, drought tolerant plant you can hedge then Eremophila Big Poly may be your answer. That is of course if you can source it from somewhere.
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Eremophila Images
Eremophilas are a very variable genus of plants. They vary in size from prostrate ground covers to small shrubby trees, that vary in the colour of foliage from grey white to deep greens and also in flower colours which includes white, blue, purple, green, yellow, red, pink and apricot etc.
Here’s just a few of the eremophilas I have in flower at the moment in my garden. I though it might be interesting to show how if you wanted to you could nearly build a drought proof garden with just Eremophilas and never get bored.
Eremophilas are very drought tolerant and respond well to pruning after their flowering which encourages a bushier plant that produces lots of flowers the following season.
Eremophila Alternifolia x Maculata Flower
Eremophila Biserrata, makes a thick low ground cover.
Eremophila Biserrata Flowers and Foliage
Eremophila Eriocalyx Flowers
Eremophila Glabra
Eremophila Glabra Protrate Green Flowers, growing over Eremophila Biserrata
Eremophila Hillii Flowers
Eremophila Hillii in flower
Eremophila Kalbarri Carpet, low ground cover.
Eremophila Kalbarri Carpet Flowers
Eremophila Maculata Apricot Flowers
Eremophila Maculata "Aurea" flowers
Eremophila Maculata Pink, or so the label said. Eremophila Laanii might becloser to the mark though? Flowers during winter and into spring. Very floriferous.
Eremophila Maculata Red
Eremophila Maculata Red Flowers
Eremophila Maculata subsp Brevifolia is how this Eremophila was labeled but the leaves don't resemble brevifolia. This is very floriferous and has a very long flowering season from winter right though to summer.
Eremophila Maculata subsp Brevifolia flowers. This photo doesn't do justice to the colour of these flowers, as they are nearly flouresant. This plant may be called "Valentine" in the USA?
Eremophila Maculata Thundercloud Flowers
Eremophila Maculata "Winter Gold". A much better flowerer than "Aurea". It is very floriferous and these bright yellow buds remain unopened for quite a while before opening into a paler yellow flower.
Eremophila Oppositifolia flower buds
Eremophila Oppositifolia Flowers
Eremophila Racemosa Flowers start off orange and then open into a pink colour. Flowers in spring and into summer and puts on quite a display. It is quick growing but the branches are brittle but if you keep it out of strong winds you won't have a problem.
Eremophila Subtereifolia, low bushy groundcover.
Eremophila "Yanna Road" Flowers
“Australia’s Eremophilas” a Highly Recommended reference book for the Eremophila enthusiast and Home Gardener
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Eremophilas
Eremophila, a very under rated Garden Plant
I never really appreciated what a great little garden plant the Eremophila was until I accidentally contaminated my garden soil with Phosphorus and killed most of my Banksias, Grevilleas and Proteas.
The summer of 2006/7 was quite dry and to make matters worse we had water restrictions in Melbourne and my one and only water tank had very little water in it. So to say that water for the garden was a scarcity was an understatement. I’d just planted out my new garden just a few months earlier and most of the plants were just surviving let along actually growing. The exceptions to this were about 3 or 4 Eremophilas that I’d planted. These plants were doing really well, putting on new growth and getting ready to flower for the autumn, winter and spring period. They seemed to be thriving despite the lack of water and a were living up to their reputation as being really drought tolerant plants.
It was because of this that I decided that these plants had earned the right to occupy a much larger piece of my garden. Also because these plants come in so many varieties I knew I’d have no shortage of variations to choose from. The only problem was that most nurseries didn’t stock them. If I was to fill my garden with them I’d have to go to some specialty Australian native plant nurseries. Luckily though in the meantime I came across a local market with quite a few plant stalls and these turned out to be a real treasure trove.
Now just before I go any further I here’s just a few facts about this Eremophilas for those of you that are wondering.
- The Genus Eremophila is exclusively Australian and basically means “desert loving”.
- They’re found mainly in arid inland areas of the continent. Hence they are very drought tolerant plants.
- They can be found growing in acid and alkaline soils that range from sand to clay.
- There are hundreds of species, subspecies and hybrids.
- They range from prostrate ground covers all the way to small trees.
- The flower colours come in nearly every shade of a rainbow and the size and shape also vary.
- Most are very adaptable and easy to grow while some are very fussy about their growing conditions but can be grafted onto more reliable rootstock.
- Most are easily propagated by cuttings but seed can be a bit more challenging.
- Most respond well the harsh pruning and in fact form a much more attractive plant when pruned after flowering.
- Quite a few are reasonably fast growing which makes them a good option to fill space quickly.
It’s probably also important to point out that not all varieties are adaptable to all situations. The area that I live in has typically cold wet winters and dry hot summers and the natural soil in the area is a clayey loam that doesn’t always drain all that well. As a consequence I’ve raised my garden beds and improved the clay. Despite this, I’ve tried to use varieties that are considered to be adaptable in their requirements. So far and haven’t had any trouble finding over 20 different species, sub-species and hybrids to grow in my garden. As time goes by I’ll write about each of them. Just for now though here’s a list of what I’ve got growing in my garden at the moment.
Eremophila Alternifolia x Maculata, blue
E Bignoniiflora x Polyclada, “Big Poly”
Eremophila Biseratta, Prostrate Red
Eremophila Calorhabdos
Eremophila Eriocalyx, purple flowers
Eremophila “Eyre Princess”
Eremophila Gieslii prostrate
Eremophila Glabra, prostrate green
Eremophila Glabra ssp Carnosa
Eremophila Hillii
Eremophila Maculata, Apricot
Eremophila Maculata, “Winter Gold”
Eremophila Maculata, “Aurea”
Eremophila Maculata x Alternifolia, “Magneta Dream syn Blue Thunder”
Eremophila Maculata, compact red flowers
Eremophila Maculata, Pink Form
Eremophila Maculata, “Thundercloud”
Eremophila Oppositifolia, Royal Purple
Eremophila Racemosa
Eremophila Racemosa, “Peaches and Cream”
Eremophila Subteretifolia
Eremophila “Summertime Blue”
Eremophila “Yanna Road”
Eremophila Weldii
The only other Eremophila that I’ve tried that didn’t survive was E Drummondii which died despite having a reputation for being hardy. Maybe it didn’t like the phosphorus in the soil, but I can’t confirm this.
In summing up I can only say that Eremophilas are a plant that deserve to be used more often in gardens and landscaping. Many Australian native plant gardeners have always known just what a great plant Eremophilas are but this plant really does deserves to become more mainstream. It is a very drought tolerant plant and seems to thrive on a lack of water. Eremophilas can flower profusely and put on a great display, the more you prune them the better they look, most are easy to grow and the ones that I’ve tried are relatively easy to propagate from cuttings. I think they’re a fantastic garden plant. After all if a garden plant can not only survive on a lack of water but also grow and thrive on a lack of water, then it has to good.
Eremophilas really are a fantastic garden plant.
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