New World semi-shade succulents?

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MikeT
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New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by MikeT »

Sheffield Botanical Gardens has a cactus bed in the Pavilions. There is a wall at the back, glass at the front and above. There are some quite large plants in the centre of the bed, so the area behind them gets limited direct sunlight. There is quite a lot of space in this area, suitable for additional planting. Some of the plants in this area are showing some etiolation. The bed is edged by variegated Portulacaria afra (the only African plant in the bed), this grows well at the front, but at the back of the bed is very straggly.
IMG_2903.JPG
Any suggestions for succulents to grow in this area? My first thought was that there was lots of scope for Gasterias and Haworthias - but the bed is specifically for plants from North or South America. Some of the green Echeverias may be OK; blue ones there are getting a little etiolated. Would any Peperomias be suited these conditions? (Not a genus I have any experience of.) Or any other ideas?
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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by esp »

It may be a good spot for epiphytic cacti - having some Rhipsalis etc cascading down could look great.
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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by MikeT »

esp wrote:It may be a good spot for epiphytic cacti - having some Rhipsalis etc cascading down could look great.
There is one Epicactus there. Considering that the bed is underwatered, it's looking OK. I'm not sure how a hanging basket could be fitted, but not a bad idea -I'll have to look at the options. Watering would need to be adequate; but in theory that shouldn't be too hard.
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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by MikeT »

Anyone able to comment on Peperomias and semi-shade?
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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by eduart »

Peperomias don't like intense sunlight, I'd rather say 2-3 hours of direct sunlight during the day max. I have often seen the two New Zealand native Peperomia urvilleana and P. tetraphylla growing in nature only in well shaded positions with little to no direct sunlight.

I also has two few years back and killed them in a year probably for giving them too much sun.

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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by Paul in Essex »

I have often seen Mammillaria growing in shade in the wild - no idea which species but I imagine someone would. Agave mitis isn't massive and often grows in shade. Ditto Agave obscura (as in polyacantha var xalapensis, not garciae-mendozae). As you say many echevera would be ok - in my garden I grow E. elegans in several lightly shaded places and it is just fine. E. nodulosa I have seen in shade (next to Mammillarias!) also E. rosea.
Xeric ferns would look nice accompanying them - they do this to great effect at RBG Edinburgh as the guy in charge has a particular interest in them - many/most will grow in some shade. Also the 'resurrection fern' Selaginella lepidophylla which I think you can still buy as a rootless novelty plant.

Many terrestrial bromeliads would work in those conditions, too. Hechtia, Dyckia, Deuterocchonia, some of the smaller Aechmea.
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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by MikeT »

Thanks, Eduart & Paul

A few ideas to be working on...
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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by Aiko »

eduart wrote:Peperomias don't like intense sunlight, I'd rather say 2-3 hours of direct sunlight during the day max.
Hmmmm, could that be the reason why I don't have my Peperomias anymore? I once got a cutting of a very nice Peperomia from K.W., but sandly lost it even though it did quite well for quite a while. Yes, it was in full sun for most of the day (when it grew well, but also when it died).
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Re: New World semi-shade succulents?

Post by jorgequinonez »

I have Rhipsalis growing on my bathroom walls. They can grow on the supporting columns in a small pot.
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