Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
'Blue Bells' Emu Bush
Blue Bells emu bush is a compact Australian shrub with soft, gray-green leaves and violet-blue tube flowers from fall through spring. It stays about 1 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide, so it fits borders and small beds. Hummingbirds visit the flowers through the cool months. It thrives in full sun and heat on little water.
Best for: cool-season color, hummingbird plantings, and small spaces and borders.
Violet-blue tube flowers open from fall through spring, when many desert shrubs are resting. The gray-green leaves stay on all year.
Its tubular flowers draw hummingbirds through the cool months. Plant it where you can watch from a window or patio.
At about 1 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide, it fits borders, entries and small beds. Space plants about 3 to 4 feet apart.
Too much water and poor drainage can rot the roots. Keep it off frequent drip lines meant for thirstier plants, and plant it where water drains away.
- Mass planting3 ft apart
- Border or bed row3-4 ft apart
Water regularly through the first growing season, then cut back. Once rooted it needs little water, so let the soil dry before each deep soak.
Plant it in full sun, where it does best.
It needs little to no pruning. Trim lightly as needed to shape it.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Why did my emu bush suddenly die?
It does not handle soggy soil or too much water, so check those first. Plant it where water drains, and once it is rooted, water only after the soil has dried out.
How often should I water it?
Water regularly through the first growing season. After that, a deep soak every 1 to 3 weeks in summer and about monthly or less in winter is plenty, letting the soil dry in between.
When does it bloom?
It blooms from fall through spring, giving color for much of the year.
Does it attract hummingbirds?
Yes, the tube flowers draw hummingbirds, especially through the cool months.
How big does it get?
It grows about 1 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. Plant it about 3 to 4 feet apart.
Is it cold hardy?
In testing, tips burned at 17°F but recovered quickly in spring. Wait until spring to trim any damage.
Does it need full sun?
Yes. Plant it in full sun, where it gets sun most of the day. It also handles reflected heat off a hot wall.
Does it need pruning?
It needs little or no pruning. Trim lightly only to shape it.
Is it evergreen?
Yes. It keeps its soft gray-green leaves all year.
'Blue Bells' Emu Bush for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Blue Bells emu bush gives Valley yards violet-blue flowers from fall through spring on little water. Below are the questions people ask most about size, water, bloom, cold and care.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
Watering Blue Bells emu bush
Once rooted, give it a deep soak every 1 to 3 weeks in summer and much less the rest of the year. Overwatering is the top way people lose it.
Emu bush soil and drainage
Plant it in soil that drains well. Any Valley soil works if water does not sit around the roots.
When does Blue Bells bloom?
It blooms from fall through spring with violet-blue tube flowers, giving color for much of the year.
Emu bush and hummingbirds
The tube flowers draw hummingbirds, especially in the cool season.
Emu bush cold hardiness
Test plants showed tip damage at 17°F and recovered quickly in spring.
How big does Blue Bells get?
It grows about 1 to 3 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide, so it fits small spaces.
We deliver across the Valley, from Phoenix, Scottsdale and Mesa out to San Tan Valley, Maricopa and Casa Grande, and up to Prescott, Sedona, Payson and Globe. See delivery areas and rates.