Eremophila “Eyre Princess”
Eremophilas would have to one one of my favourite garden plants and one of my favourite Eremophilas would have to be Eremophila “Eyre Princess”.
It’s now the beginning of spring in Melbourne and my Eremophila “Eyre Princess” is now at the height of it’s flowering season. At the moment it is just covered in purplely, blue flowers which are a cross between it’s parents, Eremophila Nivea and Eremophila Drummondii.
Eremophila Eyre Princess
The Eremophila above I’ve had growing in my garden now for nearly 3 years and have found it very easy to grow. It is very drought tolerant, likes lots of sunshine and even looks good when not in flower.
The most amazing thing about this Eremophila though is that I’ve never seen it in a nursery. I actually bought this one at a market and didn’t even know what it was called until a few months ago, as it didn’t come with a label. The retail nursery trade sometimes never ceases to amaze me. For a plant that has so many things going for it, that is obviously very easy to market and especially due to the fact that it is a very drought tolerant plant and easy to grow, I really can’t understand why it isn’t so readily available. Especially since it is so easy to propagate from cuttings. I propagated some of these Eremophilas last spring, using the method for propagating plants describes elsewhere in this blog.
Eremophila Eyre Princess Flowers
The only maintenance this Eremophila needs is be pruned after flowering. I normally just use hedge clippers to snip it into a ball and 5 minutes later the jobs done. It’s that easy and when you do prune it, it will grow more compact and bushier and then reward you with lots of flowers the following year. That’s really all the attention it needs.
So if you do come across this Eremophila in a nursery then give it a try. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the results. Eremophila “Eyre Princess really is an underused garden plant.
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Posted: September 12th, 2009 under Eremophila.
Tags: drought tolerant plant, Eremophilas, Eyre Princess, Propagating
Comments
Comment from Rebel Gardener
Time September 13, 2009 at 6:57 am
Hi Alice, Australian Native Plants in Ventura California might have it.
Comment from Noelle
Time September 15, 2009 at 2:35 pm
I love Eremophilas as well. They grow quite well in the Desert Southwest in the US. My favorite is Eremophila ‘Valentine’.
Comment from Alice Joyce
Time September 13, 2009 at 3:45 am
Ooh, I’d love to grow this. Not sure if they are carried in the nurseries round here. I’ll have to look for it. Cheers! Alice
aka Bay Area Tendrils Garden Travel