Showstopping begonias

What would summer’s containers be without begonias? For me, it’s love at first sight when it comes to cascading begonias with large, fully double flowers and elegant, dark green veined leaves that have pointed tips and serrated edges. If that sounds like a description of an I’Conia begonia, well, the I’Conia series from Dummen Orange undoubtedly rules.

Plant any one of I’Conia’s sumptuous varieties — trailing or upright — in a container or window box and tuck in, say, maidenhair fern, trailing ivy, and double-flowered impatiens, and the effect is too pretty for words. Or underplant an I’Conia begonia beneath the fronds of a Boston or Kimberly Queen fern or pair it with the dark green palmate leaves of Gryphon begonia or a white-flowered hydrangea. There are so many possibilities. I’Conia begonias do best with full morning sun and dappled afternoon shade.

Six new I’Conia begonias will be introduced in 2024 — Upright Blush, Upright Red, Portofino Dark Orange, First Kiss Orange, La Luna, and First Kiss Saffron. I’m already looking forward to trying these new varieties next year but there is an opportunity for gardeners to try one of the varieties now. I’Conia Begonia La Luna is available exclusively for 2023 at The Home Depot. On my visit, the plant tag simply said I’Conia begonia however I was able to identify La Luna by its semi-upright habit and creamy blooms that have a rosy blush and soft yellow centres. It’s lovely.

Dragon Wing White Begonia is an exceptional new begonia for 2023 from PanAmerican Seed. An abundance of large white flowers, thick green foliage, a pendulous, arching habit combined with durable performance in summer heat and cooler temperatures make this a standout, standalone begonia. Put it on a pedestal or on a patio table in part sun or shade — it is sure to attract attention with its unique form. I grew this variety in my garden last year and paired it with a dainty, double impatiens. I know better this year. Wider than it is tall, Dragon Wing White Begonia likes to spread its wings.

New for 2024, Begonia Dragon Wing Red Bronze Leaf is a different beast altogether. I am trialing it in my garden this year and cannot believe the rapid growth from one week to the next. But it’s the extraordinarily dark olive-green colour of the super glossy foliage with tints of bronze-red that is especially impressive. This variety is also wider (15-18 inches or 38-46 cm) than it is tall (12-15 inches or 30-38 cm). The plant tag says that Begonia Dragon Wing Red Bronze Leaf is suitable for sun or shade but frankly I would not risk planting it in full sun. Part sun to part shade seems well-advised especially in the record heat we are experiencing here in southern Manitoba but more on that later.

Begonia Hula is an interspecific spreading begonia series with a trailing habit and early flowering (of course, everything is flowering early this year). But additional noteworthy attributes include drought tolerance, heat tolerance, sun and shade tolerance, and tolerance to rainfall. I have yet to try Begonia Hula Blush which is new for 2023 but I’m intrigued by its unusual dimensions. Hula Blush grows to a height of 6-10 inches or 15-25 cm and has an outstanding spread of 20-27 inches or 51-69 cm. There are other varieties in the series such as Begonia Hula Pink which has rosy, pink tones as well as bi-colour varieties.

With over 1,800 species, the Begonia genus is one of the largest in the plant kingdom. Gardeners know with certainty that new cultivars with appealing characteristics and improved resilience will continue to be introduced every year. A dramatic new begonia that I think is one of the most exciting to come along in recent years is Begonia Lunar Lights Sterling Moon. I wish I could get my hands on it; however, availability is limited for this year.

Begonia Lunar Lights Sterling Moon has a tall stature with large, palmate-shaped green leaves that are puckered with silver and mint-green flecking. Recently I talked to Angela Palmer, a horticulturist at Plants Nouveau, who grows Lunar Lights Sterling Begonia outdoors in a shady area in her Massachusetts garden during the summer and grows it indoors as a houseplant for the winter. “Lunar Lights Sterling Moon is like Rex begonia on steroids,” said Palmer. “Each stalk has to be at least 18-20 inches tall (45-50cm) and the leaves are six inches (15cm) across. Everything about Lunar Lights Sterling Moon is bigger. The pink flowers which bloom in late summer are 3 inches (7 cm) wide. There is nothing about this plant that I don’t love.” Palmer says that it mixes well in containers with caladiums and ferns and benefits from some morning sun. Are you as intrigued as I am? Let’s hope we will see Lunar Lights Sterling Moon in our area in 2024.

Growing begonias successfully in extreme heat is reliant on a location that offers partial shade as well as close attention to watering. Take your cue from the seasoned experts at local garden centres who allow the surface of the soil to dry between watering. It’s helpful to use a soil moisture meter sensor which gives instant results. Overwatering which results in stem rot is the biggest problem when growing begonias.

If you are shopping for a hanging basket of begonias and the soil is soaking wet and the hanging basket is noticeably heavy, hang it back up. You could be taking too much of a chance with the potential for stem rot down the road. One option, though, if a plastic nursery pot of begonias becomes inadvertently saturated before you have a chance to plant it in a container is to cut the nursery pot down the sides with a drywall knife, peel back the outer shell, and allow the outside air to reduce some of the moisture content in the soil.

The American Begonia Society says that the delicate root systems of begonias will burn if synthetic fertilizer is applied to dry soils or if too strong an application is applied. Apply a dilute application of fertilizer to moist soil. I have good results with Gaia Green Power Bloom 2-8-4 which I use to top-dress the soil surface, incorporate lightly, and water in at the time of planting. Gaia Green is an organic fertilizer which contains bone meal, mineralized phosphate, fishbone meal, rock phosphate, glacial rock dust, insect frass, basalt rock dust, kelp meal, gypsum, greensand, and blood meal. But one recommendation by the American Begonia Society that I plan to try is to steep a tea bag, allow it to cool to room temperature, open and sprinkle the contents over the potting media. Apparently, this provides a low amount of nitrogen to encourage more flowers.

Good air circulation is essential for begonias, especially in temperatures that are consistently above 30 degrees Celsius. I’ve sometimes noticed the use of fans next to the begonia section at garden centres. Leave adequate space between plants when you are creating a container design with begonias and avoid exposing begonias to mid-afternoon sun.

colleenizacharias@gmail.com