This Week In The Trial Garden July 20, 2012

Plant Of The Week: Begonia ‘Santa Cruz’

The  Plant of the Week is ‘Santa Cruz’ Sunset Trailing Begonia (Begonia boliviensis) from Benary (http://www.metrolinagreenhouses.com/testgarden/8500.aspx). We had it in ground beds in the confidential garden last year and it did very well. This year in the ground bed it is doing ok but is thriving in the container trial. The unique thing about this variety is that it is from seed as opposed to cuttings. The main advantage is that it may be less susceptible to some diseases that occur in propagation. The plants in the ground beds are doing average but much better than other trailing begonias. The plants in the container are doing outstanding. This variety will still have the flower shedding issues we have seen in other begonias but its great color and habit will more than make up for this “problem”.

This Thursday I made my first visit to the University of Georgia Trial Garden. It is quite a garden and I got a lot of good ideas for next year. They had a basket of Santa Cruz that was doing very well and again much better than other trailing begonia (picture below).

  

Thank You

Mark Yelanich Ph.D.

Past Plant of The Week!

Week 28: Gomphrena Experimental from Sakata

Week 27:  Cleome Clio ‘Magenta’  from Danziger

Week 26: Angelonia Archangel Raspberry Improved from Ball FloraPlant.

Week 25:

Week 24: Incarvillea (Incarvillea delavayi) Cheron Pink from PanAmerican

Week 23: Mecardonia  Magic Carpet Yellow from Sakata Ornamentals.

Week 22: Hibiscus “Mahogany Splendor” from Pan American Seed