Colourful Begonias for tricky shaded gardens

How many plants do you know of that could add colour to a shaded garden? You may be familiar with bellflowers, foxgloves and Lamprocapnos, but what about something really bright and bubbly that will sparkle wherever it’s placed?

Begonia Limitless does just that. But before we find out more about this beautiful plant, let’s figure out what kind of shade you have in your garden…

What kind of shade do I have in my garden?

There isn’t just one type of shade. Different shades are suitable for different plants – and don’t worry, none of them are bad! Here’s a list of the different types of shade that you can have in your garden:

Light shade – an open area that is cast over by an obstacle such as a fence or tree.

Semi-shade or partial shade – this area will receive three to six hours of direct sunlight per day in summer.

Dappled shade – the light in this area may be reflected or diffused, likely by a deciduous tree, where the sunlight can filter through its branches.

Moderate shade – an area that receives around two to three hours of direct sunlight per day in summer.

Deep shade – this area will receive less than two hours of sunlight per day in summer. The light is likely blocked by a building, or thick tree or shrub cover.

Soil type in a shaded garden

Not only is the type of shade in your garden important, you should also consider the type of soil within your shaded area. An area with deep shade and poor draining soil may pose a very intolerable situation for most plants; however, a wide range of plants can thrive in dappled shade with well-draining soil.

You’ll also need to check whether there are obstacles that could halt plants’ growth, such as roots from nearby trees that are casting shade. In addition you should be aware of whether your soil consists of clay, loam, sand, silt or otherwise, as this will greatly influence the type of plants that you can introduce into your beds or borders.

Begonia Limitless – ideal for brightening up shaded gardens

This collection features a stunning new Begonia variety for 2021! Not only does the entire collection sing with colours, but each plant boasts large blooms in unique colour-changing shades ranging from soft pastels to deep rose and rich apricot. Plus, they simply thrive in shaded areas! Make a grand floral statement in your summer garden this year with this new variety of classic Begonia.

These Begonias grow best in sun, light shade, semi-shade, dappled shade or moderate shade. They’re suited to well-drained, fertile soil – but don’t fear if you don’t have this soil type in your garden, as you could always introduce a raised bed or plant the Begonias into pots.

Comfort planting

Begonias are a firm RHS ‘comfort planting’ favourite! What is comfort planting? It refers to planting those old favourites; the ones that we know well enough to care for on autopilot; the cottage garden essentials that are well-bred and rarely have any faults. If you’re feeling like you want a bit of familiarity in your garden, these are for you!

Summer-long colour

The Begonia Limitless variety is more vigorous and floriferous than many other bedding Begonias. They will produce flowers from late May and repeat-flower all the way through to the first autumn frosts. Not to mention they will even grow well in shade/part-shade to add colour to a dull corner of your garden.

A little goes a long way

With their big 10cm (4″) blooms and compact but relaxed habit, these Begonias will form the perfect shape for container gardening, offering an even display of flowers. Just one 9cm pot will fill a 30cm (12″) patio container or you could plant three pots into a 40cm (16″) container for a full and colourful display.

Multi-coloured display

Each of the plants in this collection will produce the typical multi-petal flowers that begonias are famous for, while colour-changing through apricot, lemon, pink, cream, rose and tangerine shades. What better way to delight passers-by than with a beautiful, ever-changing, floral display at your front door?

 

Key wildlife attracted: bees and butterflies Flowering period: late May – October Planting position: sun, part-shade, shade Soil type: well-drained, fertile Mature size (h x w): 50cm – 70cm x 50cm – 70cm (19.5″ – 27.5″ x 19.5″ – 27.5″)

 

Cultural instructions:

• Keep soil moist
• Grows best if receives afternoon shade
• Dead head
• Feed regularly
• Corms may be lifted and over-wintered in a cool dry place

What type of shade do you have in your garden? Let me know in the comments section below!

Image c/o Pixabay