Ruby Saltbush – Pretty in Pink, (& red, yellow & orange!)

Continuing a theme, I thought I’d explore another hardy salt bush ground cover. This one is my favourite, Ruby Saltbush, Enchylaena tomentosa. The second or species name, tomentosa, refers to the somewhat soft or woolly hairs on the foliage when seen up close. The foliage is a lovely blue-grey colour and can be quite striking as the plants develop into small shrubs or low neat mounds, depending what part of the country you are in. Dotted with contrasting small bright pink fruits throughout the year, this is where the name ‘ruby’ comes from.

Like the other two saltbushes from last month, this variety also self-seeds easily in country areas or large gardens, from birds and other small animals eating the berries and dropping the seeds. Indigenous plant legends from my family’s hometown of Cosgrove, Liz and Sandsie, have taught me that the local version of this plant is different from those I’d been planting in Melbourne as a landscaper over the years. That version, I’d also had seen traveling in outback South Australia, reaches around 50 cm high, and bears fruits in spectrums of yellow, orange, and red. The local Cosgrove one reaches 15 cm high and only has pink fruits. As Liz and Sandsie explained, it’s important to plant local versions of Ruby Saltbush on our properties and in our gardens, as these plants spread easily, and we could risk losing our special local versions. To clarify, both versions are the same species botanically.

Like other saltbushes, Ruby Saltbush has antiviral properties, strongest in the tips of the plants. You can dry the tips and use them to make a healthy tea, although their strong taste is best when blended with that other healthy and tasty tea, Lemon Myrtle. Use a small teaspoon of dried saltbush leaves with a large Lemon Myrtle leaf, fresh or dried, for a small pot of tea. Add boiling water and let brew for 3 or so minutes and enjoy hot, rather than cold. Have a cup every day or so to help ward off winters’ woes.

The bright pink berries are a good size so are easily harvested, making these plants great as part of a special bush food garden, or to incorporate native food plants into a native or easy care garden. They taste salty and sweet, so they can be used in savoury or sweet dishes, in salads or fruit salads, and make a striking garnish on everything from small cakes to seafood. They make a lovely drink or a refreshing cordial, although as I’ve never tried it I can’t give you the recipe, but I’ll have to give it a go so I can report back another time!

The plants are great for habitat, providing food for small birds over a long period, and shelter and food for small lizards. They prefer full sun, but can cope with light shade. They can cope growing near large Eucalypts, as this is where they can naturally occur. Able to thrive in serious heat and exposure and with very little rain once established, they are a great inclusion in shelterbelt planting, to increase biodiversity. These plants can be affected by cold weather and can lose a few leaves and also blush red in repsonse. the return of warmer weather will see them recover quickly, and you can also cut them back a bit to help promote new growth.

 As garden plants they grow quickly and need little care, beyond an occasional tidy-up with the secateurs. They are lovely planted amongst rocks, paired with some of our native grasses such as Wallaby Grass or Kangaroo Grass, or perhaps some Silky Blue-grass, Dichanthium sericeum, to complement the blue-grey foliage of the saltbush. Add in some low growing native daisy plants such as Chrysocephalum apiculatum, with small yellow button flowers and you have a very easy-care and colourful garden combination. All round, these are great plants for people, wildlife and country!

Check out our plant ID signs below, in the Melton Botanic Gardens and at Sprout Edible Garden at Kidstown Mooroopna, helping folks learn about the wonders of Ruby Saltbush. You can buy these signs through the links below.