Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Apr 30, 2010 9:37 am I'm hoping that someone may have some good advice on what I can plant along the south side of my house which receives no direct sunlight but loads of indirect light?? I would like to have a native/waterwise garden. Oh, and I live in Perth. Any suggestions would be great! Re: Natives plants that can grow well in the shade?? 2Apr 30, 2010 2:55 pm Ooh, ooh, ooh .. hope Fu won't mind but just to let him know I was paying attention http://www.watercorporation.com.au/w/waterwise_plants_perth_search.cfm is great for finding suitable plants progress viewtopic.php?f=31&t=20401 sculptures viewtopic.php?f=36&t=26607 pole trouble viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25988 Re: Natives plants that can grow well in the shade?? 3Apr 30, 2010 7:56 pm Thanks for that. I have checked it out in the past but unfortunately it doesn't go into much detail in terms of where to plant in terms of how much light. I'll have another look though! Re: Natives plants that can grow well in the shade?? 4May 12, 2010 3:30 pm Rezso, May not all be native but here is some info. If you are looking for plants for a shady area most nurseries have a shade house so head for that area. There are a number of plants that are suitable for these areas: Austromyrtus – related to lilly pillies, it’s a variety of a native rainforest shrub with red new growth. It grows 3-4 metres (around 10 – 15 feet) but with dense growth. It’s suited to hedging and screening. Baby’s Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii) is a plant that will grow in moist areas under benches and similar places. It has tiny leaves and has a moss like appearance. It needs to be protected from hot sun. It will grow in most areas of Australia although in very cold areas it may die back over winter. As well as being used as a ground cover in moist shady areas it can also be potted or used in a hanging basket either on its own or as a ground cover around other plants. The bird’s nest fern or Crow’s nest fern (Asplenium australasicum) is an excellent foliage plant for semi shady areas. It will develop into a large plant with strap like leaves. It’s not always happy in deep shade or areas that are poorly drained but as part of a backyard “jungle” or “rainforest” mixed with plants such as lomandras, dianellas and elkhorns they are very attractive. Bamboo palms are also excellent plants for areas that have dappled shade. They are excellent for narrow shady spots beside the house. Being such a narrow plant it can be planted along a fence without creating problems by leaning over your path. Curuligo is a plant that has been around for some time but dropped out of fashion so is under-used. It’s an interesting native plant from rainforests. Its strongly pleated leaves are held vertically and the plant will grow in quite heavy shade. Ferns are of course an obvious choice for shady areas. Maidenhair fern (Adiantum spp) in particular is very useful. It is the most widely grown fern in Australia and one of the easiest to grow. Although if allowed to dry out the foliage quickly turns brown although with care they will come back to life. There is a huge range of maidenhair ferns. Some species are tougher than others. The wild native species Adiantum hispidulum will tolerate full sun but is best in light shade. It will grow in a variety of soils from good to very poor and is cold hardy. Other ferns include hen and chicken, blechnums, hare’s foot fern & prickly rasp fern (Doodia aspera). Your local nursery or garden section of a Bunnings store should be able to advise you on the most shade tolerant ferns they have for sale. Colour To add colour to a shady area bromeliads with their striking foliage and flower colours, clivias with their bright orange or yellow flowers; ardisias with their pretty berries and even white spathiphyllums (normally an indoor plant) are worth considering. Other plants for shady areas include: Daphne Liriope Native violets Fatsia Monstera Philodendrons Aspidistra Fatsia Hostas (beware of cold & snails) Jacobinias (Brazilian Plume flowers) Begonias Lamium (Aluminium plant) Re: Natives plants that can grow well in the shade?? 6May 15, 2010 1:27 am what size plants were you looking for? two natives which will thrive in shade in Perth's sandy dry soils even without summer watering (will do better with occasional summer watering) are Elephant ears - Cunjevoi -Alocasia brisbanensis and Dianella. Re: Natives plants that can grow well in the shade?? 8Jun 18, 2010 2:10 am These guys have a few ideas Zanthorrea nursery http://www.zanthorrea.com/info.php http://www.zanthorrea.com/info/Clay_Soil_Challenge.pdf http://www.zanthorrea.com/info/Shady_Gardens.pdf http://www.zanthorrea.com/Zanthorrea%20Plant%20List.pdf I have also had success with Erimophilla nivea, Dryandra (Banksia) nivea, Swan River Pea, Chorizemas, Thomasias, Acacia Limelight, Bangalow palms (native to NQld sort of area) Murraya minamin, correa dusky bells and misty bells. Darwinea citrodora, Eutaxia (bacon and eggs) Jeeze I just had a heap more then I typed bacon and eggs and it all went straight out of my head (there's a bit of room in there) It's possible but a soak well is usually much larger. Your 'soak well' only holds 424 litres when full. What is your soil type? Soak wells need sandy soils. 10 9017 Finally got the Soakwell at my house sucked out. Now I’m looking for ideas on how to hide it as it’s a bit of an eye sore. I’m thinking I’d like to turf over the… 0 3283 Murraya could be a great option for you. It creates a great tall screening hedge but doesn't drop fruit like lily pilly. The flowers smell divine. 2 10256 |