Tar Bush

Tar-bush is a variable species of easy-to-grow shrubs and groundcovers. They produce soft silver to deep green foliage and abundant, nectar-filled, yellow to red flower-tubes.

For information on staying waterwise, seeking a watering exemption while establishing your garden, offers, rebates and more, please visit the Water Corporation website.

Noongar Name: Unknown

Scientific Name: Eremophila glabra

Performance: Easy to grow

Size: Small shrub with a maximum height 1m

Flower: Yellow through to Red

Flowering Time: Bunuru – Birak (Mar – Dec)

Natural Distribution: Grows locally in the Perth region

: Eremophila glabra – tangatawhenua (CC BY-NC 4.0)

: Eremophila glabra – Ian McMaster (CC BY 4.0).jpeg

: Eremophila glabra – johneichler (CC BY-NC 4.0) 2

: Eremophila glabra – johneichler (CC BY-NC 4.0)

: Eremophila glabra – Kym Nicolson (CC BY 4.0)

: Eremophila glabra – (C)Jason Pitman

Growing at a Glance

See Growing Guide for more detail

Position: Adaptable to sunny and light-shade positions

Watering: A waterwise, drought-hardy plant.

Feeding: Fertiliser not required.

Pruning: Tip pruning a couple of times a year.

Waterwise Listing

Growing Guide

Ideal Position

Tar Bush is versatile, enjoying a range of positions. Suitable for denser plantings and will perform well in full sun or light shade.

Tar Bush are excellent contrast plants, and can be used as a backdrop to emphasise feature plants.

Tar Bush is ideally placed at the front of your garden bed.

When to Plant and Watering

Plant young seedlings in Djeran (mid-Autumn) prior to the Makuru rains (Winter). Avoid planting in the hottest times of the year.
Seedlings should be watered twice a week over their first summer in the garden. It is important to ensure water penetrates down into the root-zone.
We recommend using a soil wetting agent as Perth soils are often ‘water repellent’, or do not absorb water effectively.
A layer of composted, coarse mulch can help in getting your garden started. It will help by reducing water loss and suppressing the growth of weeds.

Tar Bush are waterwise, drought-hardy plants and do not require supplementary water once established.

Tar Bush should be grouped with other waterwise, drought-hardy plants.

Feeding and Soil Care

Tar Bush don’t need fertiliser because they are adapted to grow in our local soils, which are typically low in nutrients.
Plants will benefit from adding some vegetable-based compost (avoid those with manure) into the soil at planting.
As your garden develops, practice ‘cut and drop’ when you prune your plants. The leaf and branch material that falls to the ground slowly breaks down over time, releasing nutrients to help your garden to grow.

How to Prune

Tar Bush can be maintained to their desired shape with regular tip-pruning.
Pluck the top couple of centimetres of the plant’s growing tips by hand once or twice a year.
If necessary use pruning shears, but avoid cutting down to the hard woody stems.