64 I http://www.thegardener.co.zaTEXTandPHOTOGRAPHY^GrahamDuncanPROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN Asparagus densiflorus
A
mong the numerous species of Asparagus found in South Africa,
many have long, sharp spines that make them a challenge to
work with in the garden. But A. densiflorus, the emerald fern or
basket asparagus, has relatively small thorns and is a superb garden
and container plant. A member of the family Asparagaceae, Asparagus
has about 120 species and occurs mainly in Africa, but also in Europe
and Asia. The asparagus widely grown commercially as a fresh or
tinned vegetable crop is A. officinalis, from Europe and western Asia.
A. densiflorus is native mainly to the eastern coastal summer-rainfall
parts of South Africa, from Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-
Natal and southern Mozambique. It occurs in full sun on dunes and rocky
outcrops, and in semi-shade in woodland. It is a very variable species with
numerous different growth forms, some of which have cultivar status,
such as ‘Cwebe’, with erect, feathery fronds; ‘Meyersii’, whose dense,
suberect fronds resemble cat’s tails; and ‘Sprengeri’, which has arching,
bushy fronds. The plant grows from a cluster of extensive tuberous roots,
and its stems are covered in short, needle-shaped, leaf-like organs known
as cladodes. The short-lived, minute, cream-coloured flowers are sweet-
scented and appear erratically in summer, followed by round green
berries that mature to bright shiny red.
Asparagus densiflorus is an outstanding, long-lived, easily
cultivated perennial for both full sun and shaded conditions. It survives
in almost any well-drained soil, and performs best in well-composted,
loamy media. It is an excellent groundcover for front borders and
difficult shaded parts of the garden, and is especially pleasing inter-
planted with clivias, low-growing plectranthus and ferns. Its extensive
tuberous roots bind the soil, making it invaluable for new gardens
in stabilising steep banks and preventing erosion. It is ideal for small
gardens, grown in patio pots, planter boxes and hanging baskets, but
needs repotting every 2 – 3 years. The plants can take moderate frost
to -7°C, but if cut down by severe frost they will easily survive and
produce new fronds in early summer, provided they are thickly mulched
in winter. The plants prefer regular watering throughout the year,
especially in summer, but once established are remarkably drought-
resistant. Propagation is by separation of thick clumps in spring, or by
seed sown at the same time of year.
The sweet-scented flowers attract butterflies and honeybees, and
the ripe berries are relished by fruit-eating birds like bulbuls, thrushes,
robins and white-eyes.Beautiful asparagus berries