This is Twiggy Emu Bush, lives up to its name, this facinating emu bush seems to be showy no matter what stage of flowering it is at. The spent flowers leave behind these showy yellow fruits , and sometimes also left behind is the black remains of the petals, this creates a mix of white, yellow and black which stand out amid the weeping branches.

I recently took these photos at Melbourne botanic garden, in March, so it was still throwing off blooms here and there.

The large white flowers appear in Spring & Summer, and sometimes into Autumn, with brown spotted throats. Eremophila polyclada is one of the largest flowering Eremophilas and it is often used as a parent to other hybrids to create the large flowering varieties of Emu Bushes.

Birds are attracted to the showy friut and bees and other pollintors to the large flowers.

In times of drought Eremophila polyclada may drop its leaves to conserve moisture, as it is used to growing in arid zones of Australia. It can also be found growing naturally in the very north-west of Victoria and the east of South Australia. Despite these dry locations it grows on a clay soil so can also withstand moisture around the root zone.

Its dense tangled branches make it a great screening plant as well as great habitat plant for small birds. It will grow to around 2-3 metres high by the same wide.

Prune in Autumn to stop from getting too straggly and promote a more dense habit. especially if you are using it as a screen. Eremophila polyclada prefers an open sunny position but will grow in part shade too.

This species is also very frost hardy, as it is native to inland arid areas of western NSW and Victoria, it dislikes humidity, but heavy frosts it can handle.

I think this Eremophila speices is exceptional, it appears to be doing something interesting year round and to top it all off, it has a weeping habit!