In the Garden As the season’s lower temperatures put a chill into the plants, get ready for

bewitching begonias

As the season’s lower temperatures put a chill into the plants, get ready for warmer weather with new plants like the Begonia Sterling Moon and Crimson N’ Clover.

BY BETTY MORRELL

We have had a bit of hard freeze in the past month, and some plants look a little sad. Don’t be discouraged; many will revive themselves when warmer weather returns. Don’t count them out yet!

I found a fascinating new PPAF Begonia in the Lunar Lights series. It is a special plant being introduced this year and it is guaranteed to please. Th is new Begonia’s name is Sterling Moon, and it is the fi rst one in this new series. Th is beautiful plant has puckered, forest green leaves, frosted with silver and mint-green fl ecking. Sterling Moon stands out during a moonlit stroll on a steamy summer evening. It’s a plant you won’t forget.

Besides the attractive textured leaves, it has strikingly colored, large salmonpink fl owers, which dance beautifully above young leaves highlighted with a touch of pink. Sterling Moon is a perennial must-have for your shade garden. It grows 24 to 30 inches tall and 20 to 24 inches wide in average soil. Th is plant is stunning as an edger for the path, in borders, containers, or mass plantings in your shade garden.

In the last issue, I wrote about Early Wonder, a Japonica Camellia, and Christmas Carol, a Sasanqua Camellia. Now I found another October Magic camellia, a Sasanqua called Crimson N’ Clover. Th is small-leaved Sasanqua Camellia makes an excellent landscape or container plant, as they are more tolerant of sun and soil conditions than the larger-fl owered Japonica Camellia. Crimson N’ Clover is a strong evergreen, upright grower that makes it perfect for screening or as a focal point.

Th e lush glossy dark-green foliage with reddish new growth provides a stark background for the deep crimsonred fl owers that bloom from fall into winter. Th is plant grows 8 to 10 feet high by 5 to 6 feet in width. It attracts birds and butterfl ies, makes great cut fl owers, and is a wonderful addition to any garden. Fertilize in early spring, before the new fl ush.

Two new Encore Azaleas for 2021 are named Autumn Majesty and Autumn Starburst. Both are dwarf plants growing to 3 feet in height and 3.5 feet in width. Th e blooms are 2.5 inches across. Autumn Starburst is a beautiful new bi-color with coral pink blooms and bold white margins that stand out against dark evergreen foliage. Th is plant blooms profusely in spring, summer, and fall. Starburst is a compact mounding hardy plant.

Autumn Majesty has masses of petite, ruffl ed, semi-double dark purple blooms that glow in spring, summer, and fall. Th is evergreen plant also has a rounded compact habit and stays bright green in winter.

Keep up the “armchair” gardening, as spring is not too far away. If you have any questions, email me at bamorrell@aol.com. In the meantime, Happy Gardening!

TIP OF THE MONTH

In March, use the “thumb test”—scraping your thumbnail down the stems of your plants until you fi nd green—to reach the point where the plant is alive. Prune the plant there. With Hibiscus, you may go to the ground before fi nding green.