Begonias in the Shade Garden
I find growing begonias in the summer shade garden very rewarding. I usually grow “Non-Stop” begonias, as they have a prolific amount of blossoms all summer. They’re not as large as the hybrids, but still very beautiful. They do very well in hanging baskets. You can usually find them in the nurseries in 4″ pots at a very reasonable price. If you prefer the larger hybrids, you can buy the tubers in packages in the early spring. Of course you will have to judge them by a picture on the label. You can also order from Breck’s, as they have high quality products and you can browse the pictures of the plants.
It is now officially winter and I have put my begonias “to bed”. I have most of them in hanging pots, so I just take them down at the end of the season and tuck them into an inconspicuous corner to die back. This is when the old growth feeds the tuber for the next year. When all the plant is dried up and falling away, I clean it all up and stack the pots for the winter.
In the spring, I watch the pots for the first sign of little pink nubbins that appear. At this time, I add some new potting soil to the top and some osmocote granuals. Osmocote is a time release fertilizer and is great for this use. One feeding and it usually lasts all summer. If the plants start to wane too soon, say in August, you can use a little Miracle gro on them to give them a boost.
I usually don’t hang them back up until they have some foliage showing. Maybe about 4 inches or so. Once they’re in growth mode, they need regular watering, as the pots dry out quickly.
Of course, you can always plant them in the ground, if you have a good spot. I just find that when they’re done for the year, the foliage is somewhat unsightly in the beds, so I prefer the pots. I put a drip system on my patio and was able to extend it up the wall and across the patio cover where I have my begonias hanging. It works very well. Check out my post on drip systems.