Book Review: Growing Eremophila
Book Review by Catriona Bate, Eremophila Study Group
Growing Eremophila
By Russell Wait
Recommended retail price $80
This long-awaited book does not disappoint. It is a beautiful, glossy production worthy of a prominent place on any coffee table, not just the reference library. Much more than a gardening handbook, it is an invaluable compendium that is clearly presented and comprehensive in its scope. It covers not only every species and subspecies in Australia, but also every hybrid and cultivar, and even different forms (many as yet undescribed).
While the book is a personal offering from renowned Eremophila expert Russell Wait, he has brought in collaborators from academia and the plant world to contribute articles, editing and layout. Co-authors Christine Huf, Cathy Powers and Dr Jenny West deserve special credit for the excellent presentation of this book which, although large, is easy to read and navigate. The project has been supported by Dr R. J. (Bob) Chinnock, the botanical authority behind modern advances in Eremophila knowledge.
Few others could draw on decades of personal experience in the wild as well as in the garden, plus a photographic archive of epic proportions. Having observed him sprawled in the dirt or desert sand in the quest for the ultimate plant photo, it is no surprise that Russell had amassed over 30,000 shots to choose from. Just as Russell’s dedication and tenacity are legendary, his escapades in the outback are too. The stuff of Leyland Brothers adventures, you will find entertaining glimpses in the early part of this book, especially from Ken Warnes, his partner on many of these journeys and himself renowned for his Eremophila expertise.
Within this large plant family there is a bewildering array of species, subspecies, hybrids, cultivars, and forms. This book makes sense of them in nearly 400 entries, one to a page. Under E. glabra, for example, there are eight subspecies and another eight hybrids, all with separate entries, plus, no less than 16 as yet undescribed forms of E. glabra featured. Each entry includes a concise description, brief propagation and cultivation notes, a distribution map, and a succinct author’s note where Russell gives us his take. A major feature of this book is Russell’s photographs, which take up most of the space in each entry. Selected by Christine Huf, the size and quality of these pictures are a highlight. There are three to each entry – a large closeup of the flower, a view of the foliage with flowers, and one of a plant.
A supplementary table summarises the main characteristics (size, flower colour, leaf colour) as well as garden characteristics (bird-attracting, frost and salt tolerance and propensity for fungal disease). This at-a-glance overview makes it easy to compare species, especially the use of colour coding to indicate flower and leaf colour.
Although the species and hybrid entries form the core of the book, the reader should not miss the introductory chapters which cover a range of topics including an overview of the family, its history and ecology. Dr Rachael Fowler gives an overview of the relationships between Eremophila species and how the smaller genera in Myoporeae (Bontia, Glycocystis and Myoporum) relate to the core Eremophila species based on the latest DNA sequencing technology. Professor Han Griesser discusses what has been discovered about medicinal chemicals in Eremophila. The best use of these chemicals to fight bacteria, including superbugs like Golden Staph, is likely to be in antibacterial skin ointments.
Page sample from the book
In line with the book’s title, the cultivation and propagation sections are especially important chapters. All Eremophila growers have different issues but, living on the coast, we took special note of the advice on how to deal with wilt disease. Successful propagation of Eremophila is difficult without knowing the tricks of the trade and it is here that Russell’s expertise comes to the fore. He covers all the methods in detail, especially grafting, a technique in which he specialises.
It was some time after I first admired the front cover that I noticed the species featured is, fittingly, Eremophila waitii, a relatively rare species Russell discovered in Western Australia. Bob Chinnock named this species after him in 2019 in recognition of the many new or rare species that Russell Wait has discovered and introduced into cultivation and the significant contribution he has made to our understanding of this genus. The evidence is all in this book.
Email Russell Wait at eremophilabook@gmail.com for registration of interest, orders and information.
Book Review Published: Journal March 2022