More on the Black Doris Plum

Several years ago I did a post about my disappointment with a Black Doris plum tree I'd put in (read here). It had been in this spot for about 7 or 8 years, but had done absolutely nothing, barely growing a few inches in the whole time it was there and never fruiting at all. It was obviously in the wrong place, so I eventually dug it out and replaced it with an Apple tree.

At the time, I decided to give it one last chance to redeem itself by planting it somewhere else in the garden. My options were limited and the only place I could find was a more shady position towards the bottom of the gully, a short distance from the other plum which is its pollenator. Even so, I didn't hold out much hope for it ever doing anything spectacular.

So I planted it in this garden and basically forgot about it.

To my surprise it started showing signs of growth within a season or 2, however I was still sceptical about it doing much else.

 

So, you can imagine my joy over the last couple of seasons seeing it blossom and finally beginning to bear fruit.

It seems my perseverance has paid off. In total it's taken about 12 years to get it to this point. I'm rather glad I didn't give up on it like I was very tempted to do when it didn't grow very well in its first location.

Clivias

If I could recommend any flowering plant for a shady garden like mine it would be the Clivia. They’re incredibly easy to grow and provide a great splash of colour in the garden at spring time.

I have 3 varieties or colours in my garden  – a strong orange, a pale orange and a pale yellow one. They have long leathery dark green foliage, make a good space filler all year round and contribute to the lush tropical theme I'm creating in my garden. The plant itself needs very little attention, however they do multiply like mad so may need to be divided up every now and then. One plant will soon fill a large space.

 

I feel a little bit silly having originally bought my first one from a garden centre, as they're so common where I live. The pale orange one was given to me by a friend who had too many in her garden and was thinning hers out. The biggest threat to the Clivias in my garden are snails who can make a bit of a mess of things sometimes although I haven't put much effort into controlling them so it's not a big deal.

The only down side for me is that they kinda resemble Agapanthus which I don't particularly like. Thankfully, they're nowhere near as invasive or weed-like. 

The pale yellow one's my favourite...

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October 2019

This picture illustrates how well the Clivias seem to thrive in shady conditions. These are growing under a dense canopy of Punga ferns and Kanuka trees. They get plenty of water here in the gully which is a natural water course, and turns into a little stream after a downpour of rain.

Another plant that also grows well in these conditions is the ornamental Taro.