Pink Profusion Emu Bush

Pink Profusion Emu Bush (Eremophila maculata 'Pink Profusion') is a rugged native shrub about 1.5m to 2m tall and wide, with small slender green leaves and warm plum-pink tubular flowers from autumn to early summer. Look inside a flower and you will see the dark freckles that give the species its name, 'maculata' meaning spotted. It grows in sand or clay, desert or coast, frost or drought.

Why you'll love it

• A long flowering season. Plum-pink flowers appear from autumn to early summer, so there is colour in the garden through winter.
• Freckled flowers. Each tube is marked with dark spots inside, a detail you notice when you look closely.
• Valuable nectar. The winter flowers feed native birds and insects when food is scarce.
• Soil is rarely a problem. Sand, loam or clay is fine, so long as it drains well and is neutral to alkaline.
• Fire retardant. It is regarded as a fire retardant plant, a useful trait in a bushfire-prone area.

Where it works best

Feature planting. Use it as a single specimen or in a trio set 1.5m apart, where the winter flowers can be seen from a window.

Native and wildlife gardens. Pair it with silver-leaved shrubs and grasses. The nectar draws honeyeaters during the cold months.

Tough boundaries. Run a line of plants 1.5m apart along a dry fence or sunny verge for an informal, flowering screen.

Growing Pink Profusion Emu Bush in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun and low humidity suit it, and it tolerates light frost and drought once established. Eremophila means 'desert loving', although it will tolerate some humidity and occasional seasonal flooding. It is at home in Mediterranean, arid and semi-arid, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens. In humid subtropical areas, pick the sunniest, best-drained position.

Soil. Sand, loam or clay all suit it, provided the soil drains well and is neutral to alkaline. Mulch after planting to hold moisture and moderate soil temperature while the young plant establishes. Keep it away from sewer pipes.

Water and feed. Water regularly through the first summer, then let it manage on rainfall with an occasional deep soak in extended dry weather. After pruning, feed with a native slow release fertiliser.

Pruning. Prune in spring to early summer, as growth begins. Light shaping each year keeps it dense and stops it going leggy.

What to expect when it arrives

Pink Profusion Emu Bush is sold as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. Expect a small leafy plant with growth ahead of it, and plan on a season or two before it fills its full 2m. Plant it when the soil is moist and not cold.

The tubes come from our grower, who does not always have them. When the grower has none, the tube shows as sold out on this page, and the notify button emails you the day it is available again.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• More Australian native plants
• Plants that attract birds
• Designing a native garden to attract wildlife
• Plants for coastal areas

Common questions

Why is it called maculata?

The word means spotted. If you look inside the flower tube you will see small dark freckles, which is where the name comes from.

Is there anywhere I should not plant it?

Avoid planting near sewer pipes, and keep it out of waterlogged ground. In humid regions give it the sunniest, best-drained spot you have.

Does it need full sun?

Yes. It prefers sun and low humidity, and it flowers best when it is open to the light for most of the day.