TRANSFORM YOUR SHADED BARE AREAS INTO A COOL, LUSH SHADE GARDEN
By Margi Lilienfeld
When gardens are first installed on Simbithi, many of the trees and shrubs are still relatively small. They do not cast much shade, so the area around them is planted up with sun-loving smaller shrubs, forbs and ground covers. Over time, as the trees and larger shrubs mature, their expanding canopies create shaded areas where sun-loving plants can no longer thrive. These plants become “shaded out” and slowly die off, leaving bare patches that are especially challenging when on steep banks.
The solution? Embrace the shade by planting a mix of shade-loving species! The Simbithi plant list has plenty of locally indigenous options that can be used to transform bare shaded areas into a lush garden of varied textures, complete with fragrant, flower-bearing shade plants. Just remember to prepare your soil well with added compost and a slow-release organic fertiliser to promote vibrant growth.
MID-CANOPY SHRUBS AND SMALL TREES
Add height and structure with these versatile options:
Wild pomegranate, Burchellia bubalina
This attractive, ornamental shrub is perfectly happy in shade or semi-shade. Glossy dark green leaves and clusters of bright orange-red tubular flowers in spring attract our beautiful sunbirds with their sweet nectar. Protect from buck while young!
Large-leaf Dragon trees, Draceana Aletriformis
These architectural shrubs are best grown in a group of various sizes for visual impact. The pyramid-shaped spikes of summer flowers have a strong, sweet scent and are followed by bright orange berries that are loved by fruit-eating birds. I have had red-capped robin-chats and wagtails building nests in my dracaenas.
Sourberry Kei-apple, Dovyalis rhamnoides
This shrub is the smallest of the kei-apples and, despite its name, has tasty red fruit that makes a delicious jam. The fruit is loved by birds and other wildlife. This plant does have slender spines.
Small False-loquat, Mitriostigma axillare
This small tree grows to three metres and bears strongly-scented white, star-shaped flowers with showy, orange fruit favoured by birds.
Pambathi tree, Anastrabe integerrima
This shrub usually only grows between three and five metres but is happy to be pruned, should it grow larger. The underside of the leaves is silvery white to grey and contrasts well with the dark green other forest species. Its yellow flowers, though small, are plentiful and fragrant. It flowers from early spring right on ‘til May, attracting butterflies, other insects and insectivorous birds.
September Bells, Rothmannia globosa
Often multi-stemmed, this shrub grows flowers more profusely in dappled rather than deep shade. It should be far more common on Simbithi, as it is stunning! The beautifully scented, bell-shaped flowers are profuse and attract insects including carpenter bees. Although they flower from July to October, they are in full bloom in September, hence the common name.
Zulu-cherry orange, Teclea gerradii
A shrub or small tree that has interesting trifoliate leaves and mottled bark. Although tiny, the pale green flowers are exquisite and occur from August ‘til January. The orange to red fruits are gorgeous and attract fruit-eating birds and monkeys.
Small Honeysuckle-tree, Turrea obtusifolia
Reaching full height between three and five metres, this tree is largely overlooked by Simbithi landscapers. The large, white star-shaped flowers are beautiful and appear together with the segmented green fruit that splits to reveal bright red seeds with a white aril.
French aloes, Aloe pluridens
Although these dark green single stemmed aloes grow in deep shade, they flower better when planted in dappled shade and add a different texture to many of the shade plants. Plant in a group of odd numbers to add interest to your shaded landscape.
Common tree fern, Alsophila dregei,
Even a single tree fern may be used as a focal specimen plant that draws attention. In my previous garden, I grew a mini forest of tree ferns close together so that the long fronds of their crowns could intertwine with each other. With their dark brown to almost black trunks and soft green fronds, they looked spectacular. Forest fringe plants, they prefer their feet in cool, wet ground and their heads in the sun. Be careful not to purchase the similar-looking Australian tree fern which, sadly, is rather invasive.
Forest bell-bush /River bells, Mackaya Bella
Stunning evergreen shrub, 2–4m tall, usually multi-stemmed, with slender branches. It may be pruned to encourage more dense growth if required. Sprays of beautiful, large bell-shaped flowers appear in early spring through to early summer. The flowers vary from lilac to white and have fine purple lines, adding to their charm. The sweet nectar attracts honey and carpenter bees. It is also the host plant for the beautiful pansy butterfly, while duiker also enjoy it. Protect while young.
Once you have decided on which mid-storey shrubs you want, add at least five or more Dune soapberry plants, Deinbollia oblongifolia. The reason is the wonderful ecological value of this multi-stemmed slender shrub. It is the host plant for several species of butterfly, including the forest queen butterfly, and the copious clusters of creamy coloured fruits provide food in winter for our fruit eating birds and bats. Any fruit that falls to the ground is eagerly hoovered up by our blue and red duiker.
SCRAMBLERS AND CLIMBERS
Planting of scramblers and climbers is often overlooked by landscapers and residents of Simbithi. Yet, they have vital ecological roles besides providing suitable nesting sites for shy birds, like the Purple-crested Turaco, and providing varied food sources for wildlife. By physically linking trees, they provide canopy to canopy access for shy nocturnal animals such as genets and thick-tailed bushbabies.
There are several options, including:
The laurel-saffron, Allocassine laurifolia
This uncommon, scrambling understorey plant has given me great pleasure in my Simbithi garden. The young leaves are pinkish-red, but it is the ‘Dolly Parton-pink berries,’ as Jane Bertram described them, that are gorgeous.
The Forest grape, Rhoicissus tomentosa
A vigorous, beauty with the rounded-heart shaped leaves that are covered in velvety hairs of copper when emerging. The leaves turn a beautiful dark green and eventually crimson red before falling. The flowers are small, but the fruit resembles large round grapes in loose bunches. Starting out green, they turn red then purple-black when ripe. I believe they taste like acidic grapes but, to date, the birds and fruit eating mammals have not let me get a taste! An alternative choice is the Glossy Forest grape, Rhoicissus rhomboidei.
Large forest Asparagus (Asparagus falcatus) and the Fine-leaved Asparagus creeper (Asparagus plumosus)
I have very few thorny plants in my garden, but these were a must because of the sweetly-scented white flowers, the red berries, prized by Crested Guineafowl and other forest birds; most importantly the lure of nesting birds.
Climbing Turkey-berry, Keetia gueinzii.
Not for a small space, this vigorous canopy climber has dense clusters of white, perfumed, star-shaped flowers in abundance. The black seeds are loved by many of our forest, fruit-eating birds.
Starry Wild Jasmine, Jasminium multipartitum
Best for the edge of your shaded garden, this is one of the loveliest of our indigenous garden plants. Lush dark leaves are contrasted in early summer with masses of starry, highly fragrant white flowers. It typically likes to climb but can also be pruned into a bushy shrub. Birds eat the seeds, and bushbuck will browse the leaves.
GROUND COVERS FOR SHADE
Our approved plant list has a huge diversity of shade loving ground covers that will add interest and colour to your garden. Vary shade loving bulbs, forbs, grasses and creepers to entice our forest butterflies, birds and duikers.
Bulb and corm options include:
Large Spreading While Albuca, Albuca fastigiata
Easily grown, this is a showy plant with erect white flowers and green bands. Even when not flowering, the clusters of bulbs with their long shiny leaves are attractive. The only drawback I have found is that the eastern dune mole-rats rather enjoy these bulbs.
Green Drimiopsis or Green Soldiers, Ledeboria petiolata
Although these are small and relatively inconspicuous, I love them! Leafless in winter, in spring green flower stalks appear standing upright like soldiers. The stalks end in a pyramid of little white flowers before the pretty spotted leaves appear.
Moore’s crinum or Natal Lily, Crinum moorei
This is a stunning ornamental garden plant with very large bulbs. The leaves die down and disappear in winter, but in early summer the neck of the bulb elongates producing a skirt of large leaves. The neck also produces an erect flower stalk about a metre high with a crown of as many as ten large, light-pink tubular flowers. Planted in a group, they are spectacular. In hot weather the flowers may droop during the day but become upright and wide open again in the evening. They prefer damp conditions.
The Paintbrush or Snake lily (Scadoxis puniceus), Katharine Wheel (Scadoxus multiflorus subspecies katharinae) and Dwarf Paintbrush (Scadoxus membranaceus)
These all belong to same genus of the Amaryllis family and are all worthy subjects for the shade garden. All have red flowers that are followed by green berries that ripen to red or scarlet and are much loved by fruit eating birds. The Katharine wheel has the largest flower head with up to 200 flowers. The one negative is that they are all subject to occasional decimation of leaves and flower stalks by the Amaryllis lily borer.
The White Paint brush, Haemanthus albiflos
These are best planted in a clump. New leaves are added each year, and they add weight to softer, smaller leaved, shade ground covers. Another excellent garden plant, this one has white flowers, and green berries that ripen to red.
Falling Stars, Crocosmia aurea
If you want bright, luminous orange flowers to add a pop to your shade, plant a small colony of the attractive Falling stars, Crocosmia aurea, irises. Flowering in summer from January to June, it is an ecologically important plant as the fruit eating birds love the dark purple seeds that are encased in an orange capsule. Porcupines also like to eat the corms and duiker eat the fallen flowers. These flowers have the added advantage of being an excellent cut flower in flower arrangements.
Forbs and creepers
There are so many other shade shade-loving ground covers that I am simply going to list my favourites with the main reasons why I chose them.
Creeping Foxglove, Asystasia gangetica – the butterflies
Weeping Anthericum, Chlorophytum saundersiae – free flowering, butterflies, bees
Giant Chlorophytum, Chlorophytum krookianum – large size, starry white flowers, bees and butterflies
Creeping spur flower, Coleus madagascariensis – white flowers and host plants for varied butterfly and moth species
Forest Star-sedge, Cyperus albostriatus -vigorous and dense in poor soil conditions, adds texture at low level
Small red iris, Freesia laxa – dainty flowers, hardy
Clivia, Clivia miniata –the stunning flowers
Various Plectranthus species – range of various sized plants with white, pink, blue or mauve flowers, soft leaves. Numerous locally indigenous species.
Krauss’ Spike Moss, Selaginella kraussiana – lush, soft texture, ground hugging
Flowering Ivy, Senecio macroglossus – Daisy like yellow flowers, ivy shaped leaves.
Forest Grasses
Broadleaved bristle grass, Setaria megaphylla – tall, fluted leaves are attractive and the seed attracts, canaries, finches, and even twinspots! Good for soil erosion but can spread.
Basket grass, Oplismenus hirtellus – soft forest grass that grows in deep shade and under low bushes in difficult to reach places. Host plant for brown forest butterfly species.
With thoughtful plant choices you can transform shaded bare spaces into vibrant gardens teeming with life while adding beauty, ecological value and serenity to your landscape.
