I like plants that live life to the full. I admire their generosity and their exuberance. – Katherine Swift
A group of plants that tends to be overlooked until autumn, when they surge forth in splendour, is the spur flower or Plectranthus species. Treat yourself to a visit to Kirstenbosch, where they now transform shady areas into wonderlands of white, pink and purple.
Ernst van Jaarsveld listed 55 known species in southern Africa in his splendid book Plectranthus and the Art of Turning Shade to Glade, illustrated beautifully by Vicki Thomas. More may have been discovered since its publication in 2006.
The spur flower is easy to grow, developing rapidly and responding well to fertilisers. Most of them prefer light shade and moist, well-composted soil. There are species for use as ground covers, shrubs and container plants.
Foremost among the ground covers, perhaps, is P. ciliatus “Drege”, which has sprays of dainty white flowers and leaves with purple undersides. I have seen it grown most effectively tumbling down from urns. It is called the “gossip plant” because it spreads so rapidly. The pincushion spur flower, is my autumn show-stopper with its abundance of purple flowers.
For areas with problematic dry shade, grow the thicket spur flower, P. madagascariensis “Lynne”, a natural mutation with attractive variegated leaves. This is one of the most drought-tolerant plants of the species. Another water-wise ground cover is P. neochilis, a succulent, with blue-mauve flowers which blooms best in full sun.
For shrubs, I recommend P. saccatus, P. fruticosus or P. ecklonii. The veranda jacaranda (P. saccatus) has the largest flowers in the genus. These are usually mauve, but there are white forms too. One I look forward to acquiring is “Nkandla”. No, it wasn’t found in Zuma’s garden, but in a Zululand forest of that name. This form has striking mauve flowers lined with strips of white and maroon.
P. fruticosus grows to almost 2m, often with purple undersides to its foliage. Two pink-flowering specimens are “Behr’s Pride” and “James”. The latter can tolerate full coastal sun.
P. ecklonii, the first spur flower to be introduced at Kirstenbosch, is justifiably popular. It comes in white (“Tommy”), blue-mauve (“Medley Wood”) and a rich pink (“Erma”). The latter, named after Ernst’s wife, also has young stems and pink leaf stalks.
Some lovely hybrids have also been developed, such as the free-flowering “Mona Lavender” and the Cape Angels series, which offers flowers in white, pink, blue and purple.
Blue or white spur flowers look good when contrasted with orange-flowering falling stars (Crocosmia aurea), which bloom at the same time.
To improve flowering and maintain vigour, it is advisable to prune plants midwinter, after flowering. P. ecklonii and P. fruticosus should be cut back hard, to about knee height. The cuttings generally propagate easily, making welcome gifts or extensions for one’s own garden. - Cape Argus