I consider myself a progressive gardener, but some habits are hard to kick. Growing in containers is an enforced habit as I have no open ground to speak of, and, although I admire great sweeps of the same plant, the desire to replicate this rarely overwhelms my passion for collecting more and more treasures. Just occasionally I exercise restraint and restrict myself to a mass of one single variety, but it has to be a cracker to justify such an honour. A prime example is Begonia ‘Million Kisses Elegance’, a new-fangled hybrid with an absurd name, but one which produces gazillions (since we are being absurd) of blushing white flowers whatever the weather, for months on end.
I have tried sharing the love with diascias, fuchsias and other shade-tolerant bedding, but the would-be suitors always fade away by midsummer, leaving the amorous begonia ‘on top’, as it were. This year I didn’t even attempt to make a match and created a stunning waterfall of flowers from just eight plants, purchased locally at Broadstairs Garden Centre. The obligatory phase of wanting every flower in my garden to be white is long past, but there is something particularly pleasing about pale blooms en-masse that no amount of brights can ever achieve.
There are other nauseatingly-named begonias in the ‘Million Kisses’ series, including ‘Devotion’ and ‘Amour’ which produce lipstick-red flowers , ‘Honeymoon’ which is lemon-yellow and hot-pink ‘Embrace’. All share the same excellent growing habits but are best kept on the dry side to prevent the succulent stems from going black and soggy at the base. Apart from a propensity to rot in damp weather, begonias in the ‘Million Kisses’ series are immune to plague and pestilence. Should one succumb, I assume all one needs to do pucker up and kiss it better. TFG.
Categories: Annuals, Container gardening, Flowers, Photography, Plants
Restraint can be difficult- but these do look beautiful.
I enjoy your blog very much!
Thank you Jim! 😇
Stunning, love them and they go so well with pink calanchoe? peaking through on the second picture, not sure whether they are available in Australia.
You use them brilliantly, a few weeks ago when I saw them in your garden they looked as though they were at their peak; and they still do now. You have converted an “anti hybrid begonia” man in to a big fan. P.S. Salvia blue and black has made an appearance here since seeing it in your garden, thank you for that introduction too.
I am sure it will do well for you as you have more open space than I do and mine is a little shaded. Thankfully the foliage is extremely neat in the event there are no flowers. Interested to know what you’ve planted it next to. I’m thinking yellow might be the best combination here next year.
How beautiful! I shall look out for this next year, whilst I am stocking up on my annual purchases of Begonia Glowing Embers which would not fit into a white scheme but which provides us with months of pretty flowers, with a bonus of lovely dark foliage and requiring little maintenance. We are recent converts to begonias, never too old to learn it seems!
I never used to like begonia, but yours are wonderful ! Thank you for sharing !
I have no experience with begonias. This one looks wonderful, Dan 🙂
Yours are gorgeous, and an inspiration! I was given a few and while the leaves are beautiful (my first begonia, I had an irrational mistrust stemming from youth) no flowers. Perhaps because it’s 110f here?
Yes, I imagine so Margaret. I find begonias and streptocarpus both cease flowering when it gets too warm. They like it cool. Pleased to report my begonias are still going strong here and giving me lots of pleasure. Dan