Eremophila maculata ‘Aurea’ – Yellow Spotted Emu Bush is a bright, hardy and highly ornamental form of Eremophila maculata, grown for its vibrant golden-yellow tubular flowers and reliable performance in dry native gardens. Flowering from winter through summer, this cheerful shrub provides a long-lasting display of warm colour and valuable nectar for birds and pollinators.

Growing to around 1–2 metres high and 2–3 metres wide, ‘Aurea’ forms a broad, spreading shrub that can be used as a feature plant, informal screen, habitat shrub, or background planting in low-maintenance native gardens. Like other forms of Eremophila maculata, it is tough, drought tolerant, frost tolerant, and well suited to sunny, well-drained positions.

Its golden flowers are especially useful for brightening winter gardens and combining with silver foliage plants, purple-flowered Eremophilas, native grasses, and other dryland shrubs. With light pruning after flowering, it can be kept dense, shapely, and floriferous.

Flowers

• Vibrant golden-yellow tubular flowers from winter to summer.
• Long flowering period provides colour through cooler months and into the warmer season.
• Nectar-rich blooms attract honeyeaters, native bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other beneficial insects.
• Excellent contrast plant when combined with purple, mauve, red or white flowering natives.

Foliage

• Evergreen foliage on a broad, spreading shrub.
• Growth habit can be kept compact and dense with pruning.
• Provides year-round structure and shelter in habitat plantings.
• Useful as a background shrub or informal screen in dry gardens.

Cultivation

Soil:

Best grown in well-drained soils, including sandy, loamy, gravelly and clay loam soils where drainage is adequate. Avoid prolonged waterlogging.

Sunlight:

Prefers full sun for best flowering and compact growth. It will tolerate light shade, although flowering may be reduced.

Watering:

Water regularly while establishing. Once established, it is drought tolerant and requires minimal supplementary water except during prolonged dry periods.

Frost tolerance:

Frost tolerant once established and suitable for many inland and cool-climate native gardens.

Drought tolerance:

Highly drought tolerant once established and well suited to waterwise and semi-arid landscapes.

Pruning:

Prune lightly after flowering to maintain a dense shape and encourage fresh flowering growth. Avoid cutting hard into old bare wood unless necessary.

Fertiliser:

Use a low-phosphorus native fertiliser sparingly in spring if required. Avoid overfeeding and wet soils.

Uses

• Feature shrub for dry native gardens.
• Excellent bird-attracting and pollinator-friendly plant.
• Suitable for large pots and containers while young or when pruned regularly.
• Useful as an informal screen, hedge or background shrub.
• Ideal for low-maintenance, waterwise and semi-arid gardens.
• Brightens winter gardens with golden-yellow flowers.
• Works beautifully in mixed Eremophila plantings.

Habitat Value

Eremophila maculata ‘Aurea’ is an excellent habitat shrub. Its tubular flowers provide nectar for honeyeaters and other nectar-feeding birds, while also attracting native bees, butterflies, hoverflies and beneficial insects.

The broad, spreading habit provides shelter for small birds and invertebrates, particularly when maintained as a dense shrub through regular pruning. Its long flowering period from winter to summer helps support wildlife across several seasons, including times when fewer native shrubs are in bloom.

Growing Tips

Plant in a sunny, well-drained position and water through the first summer to help establish a deep root system. Once established, this is a very hardy shrub requiring little attention.

Tip-prune young plants to encourage branching, then lightly prune after flowering to maintain shape and promote more blooms. In large pots, use a free-draining native potting mix and avoid saucers that hold water.

Give it room to spread, or prune regularly if a tighter hedge or screen is desired.

Sylvaterre Eremophila Range

Sylvaterre Native Nursery grows the largest and most diverse collection of Eremophila plants on the east coast of Australia, with more than 50 different species and forms available at different times of the year. From rare collector’s plants to hardy garden performers, our Eremophila range is ideal for drought-tolerant, bird-attracting, and habitat-focused native gardens.

Shipping Note

At Sylvaterre Native Nursery, every plant is treated with care and respect. Unlike many online nurseries that ship tubestock lying flat — often stacked on top of each other in standard Australia Post boxes — all Sylvaterre plants are shipped upright in custom-made cardboard plant boxes. This helps ensure they arrive healthy, happy, and ready to thrive in your garden or pots. See our shipping cartons in the image gallery.