Masters Of Shade

There are not many plants that can turn shade into a fairy landscape of dainty flowers in a season when most others are over it. Plectranthus will do just this!

If we could illustrate the beauty of autumn in South Africa’s temperate and subtropical climates with only one word, it would be Plectranthus (spurflower).

There are about 44 indigenous species of these herbaceous perennials, which are part of the fragrant mint family, and they range from groundcovers to large shrubs, found in the deep or dappled shade of forest trees in the eastern side of the country. There are other species that come from beyond our borders, as well as fancy hybrids bred in hothouses, and we love them all!

Plectranthus plants like warm and moist conditions, and flowering is triggered by short day lengths. This means that these well-known garden plants will produce a glorious display of colour from late summer, through autumn and into winter.

General characteristics

• Odorous whiffs (not unpleasant to all) will escape when the leaves of some species are crushed;

• Shallow roots: some groundcover species will root spontaneously where nodes come into contact with the soil;

• Flower spikes consisting of freckled flower faces in a range of colours including white, pink, blue, mauve and deep purple;

• They prefer humus-rich soil and regular watering, although periods of drought will be tolerated;

• They will survive cold, but are damaged by frost – in such conditions some can be grown as very nice houseplants;

• They need a good prune back in midwinter after flowering to encourage new growth in spring, and a dose of general all-purpose fertiliser afterwards. Strangely enough, they do not like being fed when flowering.

Plectranthus ecklonii (tall spurflower)