On 11 Nov, 17:06, Dave Poole wrote:
It's very easy to grow in moist yet well drained soils and seems
reasonably hardy, although possibly not as tough as A. nervosa. *I've
always grown it (A. chatamica aka 'Silver Spear') in full sun, which
encourages a more silvery sheen. *I dare say it would tolerate shade,
but suspect it might become rather more green, which sort of defeats
the object of growing it somewhat. *A very nice plant and remarkably
fast growing when well sited. *When I was living at my old house, I
bought one that was about 18" high. *Within 2 years it was a bold
clump some 4 feet across and almost as tall. *It does well in the
Midlands and should be a doddle with you in S. Wales.

I have one growing in a shady part of my garden (shade from the house
as opposed to overhead shade from other plants). It still retains a
nice silvery sheen, albeit less so than if grown in sun, and the light-
reflecting quality is of great value in a shady spot, in my opinion.