OZ Natives for winter shade.

20 years ago

Hello. I'm looking for various natives to 1 mtr max to plant on the south side of my house.I'm on a hill & the south side is 2.5 mtrs above ground at floor level.5 mtrs at gutter so as you can imagine a fair area is shaded all winter but full sun all summer. I need to cover a huge area with bird attracting natives. Growing to a max of 1 mtr. Can anybody give me some names of suitable plants that will grow in gravel/loam soil 2 klm from ocean in Yallingup area South West Western Aust. I'm keen for low growing ground covers especially, various colour flowers.

Thanks.

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Comments (7)

User
20 years ago
Hi and Happy Birthday to you have a terrific day..Over here in Brisbane I grow lots of Grevillea and Callistemons in the shade but not on a hill. I never water them, the soil is terrible and in the flowering time they are breathtaking. I prune every branch after flowering, so that they are always bushy, which is a few times during the year for the Grevillea as it is native to the area and always flowering..Hope this helps......Cheers...MM.
artiew
20 years ago
Some of the dwarf Melaleuca and Leptospermum species seem to take a lot of abuse (low light to full sun, windy position etc), and I believe that Westringia Fruticosa is also very hardy in exposed positions. Most plants need to fruit and/or flower to attract birds, and that usually requires some exposure to sunlight at specific times of the year - I can only suggest that you read up on particular species and ensure that its flowering period coincides with the angle of the sun on that side of your home at that time of year. Personally, I love nothing more than Winter-flowering plants - really give the garden a lift when its most needed, and Winter is a tough time for many of our bird species.

Good luck,

Artie
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pos02
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I have a similar problem. the guy in the nursery told me that you need to plant for the sun. Most plants are quite dormant in winter, so the shade will not affect them. You may need to tip prune a bit more to keep them bushy however. Correas grow quite well here, as well as some of the tropical plants. I have a native ginger and a Davidson Plum, with pitosporums growing wild and birds nest ferns underneath.
justcorreas
20 years ago
Western Australia weather may tend to be a bit hot for Correas, but I'd still give them a try on the southern side of your house as they are very versatile and come in a myriad of colours and sizes. Correas are at their best in winter and shade won't bother them too much.
I'd possibly give Correa pulchella varieties a try along with the grey foliage Correa alba var pannosa. For bigger coverage try a hybrid with Correa alba as one of the parents.

Ideal bird attracting plants - flower shapes and colours can be seen on my web page.
vonlang
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks all for your kind help and suggestions.Have a nice Easter break.
Vonlang.
nathanhurst
20 years ago
plectranthus, especially argentifolium, grow well in dry shade (once estabilished). Thomasia quercifolia does well too.
gregaryb
20 years ago
Goodenia ovata does quite well in shade and many Pomaderris species can be only be grown in shade - they end up looking quite ratty in full sun. Don't know whether or not you will get these species in WA or if they will even do well in your soils.

I would not expect these species pose a weed problem over there but I can't be certain of that of course.

OZ Natives for winter shade.

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OZ Natives for winter shade.

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