Rewilding My Lot

Barbados Cherry (Malpighia glabra) is a small tree/shrub that produces tiny pink flowers and tart berries that birds like. It prefers part shade.

I’ve planted one in the bed behind the house with other “shady” companions of Turk’s Cap, American Beautyberry, and Frogfruit. At the moment, this west-facing bed is shaded until just after noon, when the sun passes over the house, and then gets full afternoon sun. During the heat of the summer, this can be quite harsh, but I’m hoping that fall and winter will be a time for these plants to recover and grow, and that they will be more resilient next year. Also, in time, there should be other things in front of the bed to provide more shade.

By the way, this is the plant where I noticed UV fluorescence in a partially broken branch. This phenomenon is still present after this plant was placed in the ground, and it corresponds with the most damaged area of the plant (a partially broken small branch).