Eremophila maculata Hybrids and Cultivars

If you’re new to the magical world of Eremophila then Eremophila maculata is probably one of the best choices to start with. It’s fairly easy to grow, readily available in most nurseries and the other great feature is it comes in a variety of flower colours due to the fact there are several different sub species and hybrids to choose from.

Eremophila maculata Plant Varieties

Red Eremophila maculata

So if you’re looking around for it the most common variety you may come across is the red form which flowers mostly over winter and into spring. There is also a deep pink form as well which in some circles is said to have cerise flowers.

I have one of these growing in my garden and I’ve found it to be a very prolific flowerer which one year started to flower in winter and then continued through spring and summer, before finally having a short break in autumn to then flower up again in winter. 

When I bought this particular Eremophila it’s label identified it as Eremophila maculata subsp. brevifolia but on closer inspection I’m not sure if this is completely correct as I believe the leaf shape on brevifolia is more of a rounder leaf.

If you live in the USA, though, I do believe that brevifolia is known as ‘Valentine’ due to the flowering reaching its peak in February.

Eremophila maculata also comes in flower colours such as Apricot, Orange, Pale Pink and of course Yellow. So if you’re into yellow flowering plants there are two that are worth having a look at that are equally worthwhile but also slightly different.

Eremophila maculata ‘Aurea’

The first is Eremophila maculata ‘Aurea’. This variety forms quite a rounded attractive bush especially if regularly pruned. It will flower over winter and also sporadically throughout the year.

The flowers are quite attractive but the only real downfall of this Eremophila from my perspective is it doesn’t appear to be as prolific a flowerer as some eremophilas.

Eremophila ‘Winter Gold’

The other yellow flower form is Eremophila ‘Winter Gold’. This also flowers over winter and has yellow flower buds en mass which persist for a couple of months before finally opening into a pale yellow flower.

For my way of thinking they don’t actually form as brilliant a feature as those of ‘Aurea’ but the bright yellow buds are quite prolific and do persist for quite a while before opening so depending on your taste this may be the highlight of this form.

This other point to make about ‘Winter Gold’ is that it doesn’t grow as uniform as ‘Aurea’ but if you prune it each year after flowering it is possible to easily shape it into quite an attractive bush.

Eremophila maculata Apricot Form

The buds start out apricot and then turn a dull pink. The foliage is a dull grey/green. Maybe if it was a brighter green like ‘Aurea’ it may highlight the flowers better?

Another form of Eremophila maculata I have, or maybe should say had grown in my garden is the apricot flowering form. This plant recently got blown over from a recent downburst from a thunderstorm.

The apricot flower colour on this variety though, was a colour that I wasn’t really all that taken by. The colour was a bit dull and it wasn’t really all that prolific. I probably could have taken some cuttings before I finished off what the thunderstorm didn’t quite finish but I felt it was a bit inferior.

Therefore if you do come across an apricot form make sure it’s in flower if you’re considering buying as I’m sure there may be some apricot forms that do have a more superior flower colour.

Eremophila maculata ‘Thundercloud’

Another flower colour to keep an eye out for is the purple variety. The one I’ve got in my garden is called Eremophila ‘Thundercloud’, which for me is a bit ironic because the wind from the thunderstorm that flattened my apricot form also split the trunk of ‘Thundercloud’.

This has very attractive purple flowers but just like ‘Aurea’ it isn’t a particularly prolific flowerer but if you have a look around I know there are some slightly different varieties of ‘Thundercloud’ so some of these may be more superior.

What I have done though, is to prune my ‘Thundercloud’ back to the stump to see if it reshoots. Maybe it will or maybe it won’t but if it doesn’t it can be easily replaced as Eremophila maculata is a reasonably quick grower, tolerates most soil types and responds really well to hard pruning if need be.

Get to know more Eremophila species and cultivars with our list below:

• Eremophila nivea
• Eremophila calorhabdos
• Eremophila ‘Big Poly’
• Eremophila 'Eyre Princess'

So for if you come across the cerise flowering form of Eremophila maculata you really can’t go wrong and along with Eremophila ‘Winter Gold’, both are very prolific flowers but I’m sure anyone who’s grown Eremophila maculata has their own favourites. 

But if you’re new to eremophilas, Eremophila maculata is a great one to start with, keep an eye out for it at your nursery and it might just be the first of many eremophilas you’ll grow in your garden.